


When We Were Young

by CatWinter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Actually I'm not sure if it's gonna be jily, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, F/M, Falling In Love, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, James Potter Being an Idiot, Love Triangles, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Mentioned Peter Pettigrew, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Sirius Black Being an Idiot, Slow Burn, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23946781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatWinter/pseuds/CatWinter
Summary: Aurora Selwyn entered Hogwarts with three simple goals: Solve her family's mystery; prove that she could be a capable heiress; and run away from her past.However, when James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin get in her way, she discovers that there is much more to the magical world than just spells and curses, and her friendship with the three boys creates the most famous - or infamous - group who attended Hogwarts: The Marauders.This encounter changes her life forever, but most importantly it might change theirs.orBefore the war, bloodshed and genocide there were four friends getting into mischief togetheror, even better yet, if you can get past my awkward first chapter, I promise you will enjoy the ride.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 11





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> >> Only one character belongs to me, Aurora Selwyn, the rest is from Queen JK.  
> >> I've been planning to write this fanfic for years, but I've only managed to build up courage now, with almost 20 years. I plan to write from the early years at Hogwarts until the Lord's fatal defeat, but I don't know if I will divide it into seasons according to the year. I have a LOT of things planned, be sure of that.  
> >> I know, the synopsis is not extraordinary, but I intend to change it to a better one, one day  
> >> I hope you like it :)

With her arms bleeding, completely soiled with dirt and huddled among bushes, praying desperately that her body would not make unwanted noises indicating her location to her possible killer, Aurora couldn't think of anything more inconvenient than the fact that, among everyone in the world, she she was trapped with one of the people who considered her no more worthy of life than a stomach worm.

Of course, she didn't have much esteem for him either ... Severus Snape was ... difficult!

Aurora Selwyn gently turned her neck to the left, where Severus Snape's black eyes were waiting for her. She was uncomfortable with that inquisitive and deep look analyzing her anatomy. He looked at her boldly, as if demanding that she resolved this situation. His expression was disfigured in a grimace that screamed exasperation and anxiety at the same time. His contorted mouth was the physical indication of all the offenses that Snape certainly had going through his head and that were clogged within him because silence was crucial to maintaining his life for the moment. If Snape could speak, Aurora was sure that he would hear the longest list of synonyms for "idiot" ever executed at the same time. What would have resulted in her hexing him, whether it was a life-threatening situation or not. Aurora Selwyn never lifted a finger against Snape's integrity. She was responsible for many pranks at Hogwarts, that was true, but only those made to the general public. Whenever James and Sirius decided it was time to remind Snape - and the world - about their tireless rivalry, she would get out of the way. She had nothing personal against Severus Snape, and was not eager to start a personal rancidity between them, if James' fragile ego had been hurt by Snape at the beginning of the school year by a stupid and provocative comment, she had nothing to do with it. Despite this, he had no problem antagonizing Aurora for her association with James and Sirius, his sworn enemies. But at that moment none of that mattered.

Their eyes met, her gold struggling with his darkness. She was ready to take the lead and tried to get close enough to whisper in his ear, they needed to find Lily and start thinking of a plan very quickly before James and Sirius were devoured. Aurora did not trust Snape, but they had no other option. Before she could expose her newly formed fragile rescue plan, giant paws plucked the bushes where the first years were hiding. Severus was quickly thrown aside with the foliage and hit his head against one of the trees in the forest. Aurora was sure that the meeting had ended with a concussion. At the same time, she was thrown to the opposite side, however, a little luckier than her colleague, she managed to use her arms to protect her head from hitting the ground very hard and when she got up, although a little dizzy and without precise direction , she was able to maintain consciousness. Her arms with already exposed wounds were injured even more by the forced contact with the abrasiveness of the ground and Aurora's ears buzzed with anguish. The adrenaline rush of having to run for her life just seconds after the fall caused the pain to be put aside for a little while, but deep in her subconscious the girl could almost feel the pain that would overwhelm her later.

The creature approached Snape, clearly realizing the benefits of chasing a motionless and unconscious prey compared to one that was willing to tire it out even more with a final hunt. Seeing the beast approaching the unconscious Slytherin at a dangerously fast level, Aurora knew she needed to do something. Anything! She had lost her wand between the previous battles between her, her friends and what was trying to kill them, which left the girl basically unable to defend herself and she never felt more stupid. What was a witch without a wand? What was she going to do? Throwing rocks at the thing? Aurora decided to use improvisation.

"YES, MONSTROSITY! LOOK AT ME, COME HERE! I will definitely be tastier than him!"

In fact, some stones were thrown, although the effort was symbolic.

A stick was the next useless option.

But that was not necessary, as the creature did not need much persuasion to leave Snape aside and go after Aurora. She took a deep breath and started again, running for her life.

* * *

**2 MONTHS BEFORE**

* * *

When Remus looked through the cabin's glass, someone was already there, two people to be precise. A pair of dark-haired boys were talking. The first one was sitting upright, shoulders back and neck raised. He moved gracefully and seemed to speak only to answer the other boy's enthusiastic questions. He noticed Remus' presence almost immediately and looked at him with fierce gray eyes. The other boy also noticed Lupin's presence when his partner stopped paying attention to him and smiled.

"Hey, sit with us. There is still a lot of space."

Remus bit his lower lip and twisted his fingers, though none of them could see. Old habits to help him control his anxiety. He wasn't sure if he should accept the boy's offer, he had just been looking for a quiet, lonely space when he ran into them. Remus was not used to being around people. Not anymore ... Not after the accident ... And he couldn't risk acting like a freak, he couldn't risk acting suspiciously. It was already a miracle that he was allowed to go to school, making friends was probably too ambitious for someone like him. Maybe he should take a step back and leave...

The first boy was still looking at him with those eyes, empty of any sympathy and apparently losing patience, with his eyebrows arching at Remus' seemingly inability to make a simple decision.

The boy with the smile patted the empty space beside him. His face was still friendly. Remus decided to be brave. Inside his head, a small voice argued that he would arouse far more suspicions by sitting completely alone than in their company, even though he was doomed forever in the shadow of his trainmates. He opened the cabin door and sat down.

"James Potter." His travel companion introduced himself. "And this is Sirius Black." He pointed to the boy with gray eyes. Sirius Black nodded, acknowledging his presence. But he didn't smile.

"Remus Lupin." He said calmly. James Potter continued to talk about whatever he was discussing so animatedly with Sirius before Remus invaded their environment. Remus wasn't paying much attention, he was still super conscious about his own actions. Their main objective was to remain invisible and just try to survive. Lupin watched the two boys. James, beside him, with jet black hair, the strands spread irremediably in all directions. Brown skin and glasses covering his devilish brown eyes. James moved with energy, gesturing confidently. He smiled a lot too.

Sirius was different, colder. Her dark curls were smooth and lustrous, and were suitably shaped in a respectable haircut. He had both hands together on his lap and spoke slowly. His clothes were made of a shiny dark fabric that Remus assumed was silk, although he wasn't sure, as he had never found real silk in his home. Only cheaper prints, like satin, that his mother, who knew how to sew and liked to make dresses, used to make them. Remus sometimes wondered if his mother would have been happier with a girl. A muggle little girl that she could have dressed in those beautiful dresses, that she could have loved without being afraid. But it was too late for that kind of illusion. He was born instead, he was here.

Sirius and James continued to talk. Remus had never met pureblood heirs before and was surprised that they had been so welcoming to someone like him. Although, to be honest, although it was a fact that the Potter family was very wealthy and pure-blooded, Remus would not go so far as to call James Potter "heir". Being the heir to a pure-blood family meant much more than just being rich and inheriting a lot of money when your parents passed away. He didn't know what the responsibilities were, specifically, but he knew that while someone like Sirius Black, of the Old and Noble House of the Blacks, was charged of duties, obligations and rules, and would probably be betrothed by the age of 12, James Potter could simply live life as he pleased. The Blacks were one of the most admired and respected families in the wizarding world. They were one of the Sacred 28, the twenty-eight British families who were still "truly pureblood" in 1960. The Potters used to be part of this thriving club, but ever since Henry Potter - who Remus thought was someone in the line of being James' grandfather - had expressed his approval of Muggle rights and pro-Muggle laws, the family was excluded. Remus didn't know much about the Blacks, other than the rumors. The rumors of their fanaticism about the pureblood tradition being so intense that the cross between family members, as first cousins, was considered acceptable if done to keep their lineage pure. Remus was a half-blood. His father, Lyall Lupin, came from a pureblood family, but he dishonored the legacy of the whole family by marrying muggle Hope Mitchells - now Hope Lupin - and with her rotted everything that his ancestors had fought for, bringing to the world the new generation of House Lupin as filthy half-bloods. 

Of course, Remus would never be refer to his family as "House Lupin". His father always said that yes, they were pureblood until his marriage to Remus' mother, and had enough money to live comfortably - again, before Lyall's marriage to Hope - but they never had the prestige or the glamor of the Blacks. Or the Potters relevance.

They were just them. Said his father on one occasion, and Remus was more than okay with that.

"Remus, what house?"

The question took Remus by surprise. As usual, he was wandering in his own head, and wasn't paying attention to any of them.

James didn't mind repeating.

"What house do you plan to go to?" Potter asked. "When we get to Hogwarts." He added with sympathy if it had not been clear enough. Remus was silent for a minute.

"Don't they have the hat to choose for us?"

James shook his shoulders.

"Well, yes ... But, which house do you prefer to go to?"

Remus really had no preference. He would happily accept any of them.

"I think the Ravenclaw would be cool ..." The boy replied. "I like to read ..." he explained.

And Remus really enjoyed reading. If he didn't like it, he doubted he would be so aware of the origins of his future classmates. In addition, his father was very fond of gossip, and working at Ministry, Lyall was exposed to a wonderful amount of gossip. At home, he was not ashamed to share them.

And Remus really enjoyed reading. If he didn't like it, he doubted he was so aware of the origins of his future classmates. In addition, his father was very fond of gossip, and working at the Lyall Ministry he was exposed to a wonderful amount of gossip. At home, he was not ashamed to share them.

"Ravenclaw would be ... Okay ..." James said, not very impressed. "Better than Slytherin or Hufflepuff anyway ... But I know where I really belong." He said gallantly, climbing on the cushion of the cabin sofa. He spreaded his arms, as if holding an imaginary sword and filled his chest. " Gryffindor!" It was a fiery statement. James' passion and impetuosity were enough to fill the room, making Remus feel almost confronted with sharing his spirit. "House of the brave, like my father!"

"And you, Sirius?"

Sirius Black smiled bitterly.

"My family has been in Slytherin for decades..."

James almost choked and sat down again, nodding his head in clear disapproval.

"And I was thinking you were cool."

Sirius was quiet for a while, to the other boys it seemed only a fraction of a second, but to him it seemed more. While mentally calculating the pros and cons of following family tradition.

"Maybe I'm different ..." was all he said.

Someone knocked on the window, and Remus looked slowly, almost afraid to see what was responsible for that sound. He was struck by a complete shock and paralyzed for a few seconds. The figure smiled and Remus almost had a heart attack.

It was a girl, riding a fast and stunning broom across the landscape. She was beautiful. It was the first thing that crossed his mind.

She knocked again and James shouted:

"There's a girl flying out of our window!"

"Open it!" Sirius moved and it was the first time that Remus recognized in him any emotion other than boredom. The three boys stood up and, as Sirius and James opened the passage, Remus stepped aside to make room for her ... to land?

The girl and her broom rushed into the cabin and James and Sirius closed the window behind her very quickly. Remus thought that she wouldn't be able to go straight in with such a big broom and with such speed without breaking everything, but the girl - not very graceful, but deftly, although she hit Remus on the head along the way - was able to land without more problems. She got up almost immediately after her awkward fall and smiled at them. Sirius noticed her muggle clothes firsthand. She wore a type of blue fabric (jeans) that looked like a peculiar mix of suspenders and shorts. In addition, a plain yellow shirt with puffed sleeves. At her feet, something that resembled a shoe enough to be consistent compared to one, but Sirius still wasn't sure how to classify it. It was black, that was all he could say.

"Thank you guys! Without you, who knows when I would be able to get on the train! I've been flying for a long time and I really needed this stop ..." The girl started babbling quickly with them as she tried to fix her clothes and put her broom safely in the corner.

"I know you," Sirius interrupted her monologue. "You were at that party last fall ..." he said remembering a ball that his family attended almost a year ago. A year was a terribly long amount of time to retain someone in your memory that you had only met once, but she was kind of hard to forget. Especially after what they did that night.

"I remember you, too, Sirius Black." She said. Her neutral tone indicated no complicity, Sirius wondered if she even remembered their little adventure together, or if she was just acting that way to avoid suspicion in the other two.

Her hair was pink, with a charming faded shade. It looked like velvet and sparkled in the sunlight. Long, reaching her hips, like a pink waterfall. Her skin was the color of sugary caramel and resembled, albeit somewhat distantly, the chocolate hue of James' skin. The delicate features, the pink cheeks ... She looked like a very lively porcelain doll. And compared to Remus' dark, second-hand muggle clothes and Sirius and James's magical robes, she was like a pink speck in a dark room. Sirius remembered her entering the ballroom at Lestrange Mansion, next to her grandparents, wearing a silver dress. Their eyes met for the first time. Hers, golden, with a dangerous fire burning. A flame that warmed, most of the time, but, as unstable as any ember, it was capable of igniting, of burning. His were absurdly gray, so clear that they could easily be mistaken for pearls. So cold that they could have frozen you right there. Their eyes met; and he knew there was something about her.

She smiled again and Remus' heart missed a beat and, for some reason, he was unable to reciprocate.

"I thought your grandmother was going to send you to some fancy school abroad." Again, the girl seemed delighted and replied.

"She changed her mind."

Sirius was not convinced.

"Why?"

"It seems that it is simply impossible to say no to me."

"Why are you wearing Muggle clothes?"

"My grandmother is secretly a fan of muggle fashion."

"And did you two miss the train? And was flying through our window the only possible way to get here?"

"Is this an interrogation? Sirius, you were much less suspicious of my good intentions when I met you." She said sitting and taking a deep breath.

James, who was not happy about not being part of the conversation, was the first to express himself and overcome the shock.

"What's your name?"

"Aurora Selwyn." She introduced herself.

James had a mysterious expression on his face, it was something between curiosity, amusement and pleasure, as if he was planning to set the world on fire and suddenly discovered that he was not the only pyromaniac around. Before he could debate all of his plans on how they could turn Hogwarts upside down, there were a few more hits. This time, at the door.

“The other cabins were full."

* * *

“Sirius and Aurora had known each other before Hogwarts. -Remus explained helpfully.

"Yes, they met at a pureblood party." Mocked James.

"Pureblood party?" Lily asked, confused. She read all the books and memorized all the concepts, but apparently that was not enough to get fully involved in the magical culture as a whole. Remus guessed that she was muggleborn.

“Pureblooded wizards or witches are those who come from families strictly composed of wizards and witches." Remus explained gently. "My mom is muggle, but my dad is a wizard, so I'm half-blood."

"My parents are both muggles ..." She said slowly.

"So you are a muggle born witch." He completed her sentence.

"Which means none of us," said Severus, referring to himself, Lily and Remus. "Would be welcome at a party like that."

Lily didn't seem happy with that information. Remus was feeling more compassionate to her by the minute. He wondered what it would be like to be thrown into a new society suddenly and discover, in a very slow and torturous process, that you were at the bottom of it.

"Isn't that unfair?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Her voice had no uncertainty, she knew the answer, but being surrounded by unknown boys, she didn't want to risk starting something she couldn't finish. 

"Totally stupid!" mocked James as if they were talking about the most obvious thing of all. He had his arms behind his head and his legs relaxed. "I don't understand why some people think about it so much. We all bleed red, right?"

Lily smiled at him, a sincere smile.

"Shouldn't you be there? Aren't you a pureblood?" asked Snape almost accusingly. James shook his head and laughed.

"My grandfather was very fond of muggles. And it was very clear about that too. We haven't been invited since."

"My parents, on the other hand ..." Sirius murmured under his breath.

"What about you, Sirius?" What do you think? Lily asked. His tone was neutral and her face indicated nothing but an innocent question. Aurora was not fooled by that. She could see through those emerald green eyes that the redhead wanted to be sure who was on her side. Aurora smiled, she was starting to like this girl.

For a tense moment, Sirius did not answer.

"I don't think I'm like that ..." He said. "I mean, I never met a muggle, but they seem harmless. And it's not like it makes any difference, or we wouldn't have squibs" He finished his discussion. Walburga, her beloved mother, would be totally horrified if she heard those words from her eldest son's pure blood mouth. But for the first time in his life, Sirius felt that he didn't have to worry about what his mother might think.

For Lily and Remus, that was good enough. Aurora was impressed. Severus was not convinced. But James smiled and slapped the other boy on the back.

"Okay, see?" You're cool. Totally doesn't fit with Slytherin."

"What do you mean?" The two girls asked at the same time. Lily again, confused, and Aurora cautiously.

"Slytherins are the worst. All of them have a blood prejudice against muggleborn and half bloods." James crossed his arms and sat upright again, as if recognizing the importance of defending his opinion.

"Not all Slytherins are like that!" Aurora defended.

"Well, Salazar Slytherin was." said James. "The man who created the house, so I don't know why anyone would want to follow in his footsteps."

"This is just one more reason!" The pink haired girl argued, exasperated. "We have to prove that we're not like that anymore. How can we do this if we keep pretending to belong somewhere else?

"Your family must come from Slytherin, right?" James smiled.

Aurora froze, she didn't know how to respond. She didn't know enough about her family's story to answer the question.

"The Selwyns are part of the Sacred 28." Sirius informed. "So probably yes."

"My mother was in Gryffindor." Aurora declared confidently. Exposing the only information she knew about her blood family. "My father was in Slytherin."

"Basically Romeo and Juliet ..." Lily commented with a dreamy smile.

"Who?" asked Sirius, he was ignored.

"I still don't know where I'm going to end up. But wherever it is, it's just a house."


	2. Dungeons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being sorted, Aurora gets to know her housemates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my little friends! I'm here with another chapter, I hope you like it!

Unfortunately, much to James Potter's dismay, the hat sentenced Aurora Selwyn to Slytherin without much contemplation, and the girl smiled at her friend, shrugging. James gave her a tongue and turned away, but Aurora knew he wasn't really upset, or at least she hoped not. It had been a night of great emotions for everyone. The shock was general when Sirius Black, the heir to the entire Black clan, was selected to Gryffindor - Aurora can see from afar, the boy's three cousins, of whom he had spoken during the rest of the train ride, grimaced in horror painted on their faces. She imagined that he would have problems with his family, and sincerely hoped they wouldn't be so hard on him.

Aurora walked happily to the Slytherin table, where she was well received by colleagues, the surname Selwyn being a great ally at that time, although for much of her life she felt like a stranger using it. Aurora Selwyn. Who were the Selwyns? What were they characterized by? Did they have her hair or her eyes? Did they have her personality? Was she a perfect archetype of the family, as James seemed to be, following the path taken by his father when he entered Gryffindor, or an exception, a black sheep, like Sirius? Who had broken centuries of tradition on his first night at the castle. There were no photos, her grandmother refused to speak. She had tried to look the masion's libraries, but there was nothing very useful in the books, they said what she already knew: her family was of pure blood origin and was also - obviously, she thought bitterly - very reserved.

But this was not the time to ponder origins. She wouldn't stop looking, or asking, but for one night she would just enjoy the moment without thinking of herself as the forgotten legacy of what had been - one day - a great clan.

Severus Snape had also been raffled off to Slytherin, which had made him part ways with his friend, the redhead Lily Evans, who was almost immediately taken to Gryffindor. Severus did not seem at all pleased with what had happened, and had a huge scowl. Aurora decided not to talk to him. She sat next to Sirius's cousin - one with blond hair, Narcissa, if she remembered well - and a boy who had been sorted that night too. She didn't remember his name, but he seemed harmless enough for her to get close.

Narcissa smiled at her. And Selwyn can't help but notice the stunning beauty of the older one. The blond curls fell in a golden cascade down her back, her skin as white and smooth as porcelain. The Black girl's blue eyes closely resembled Sirius' gray ones.

"Welcome, sweetie." - Said the blonde with a kind tone.

"Thanks." Aurora smiled widely. Beside Narcissa, her sisters were still having a hard time overcoming the shock caused by their younger cousin. Aurora was not a gossipy girl. Okay, well, maybe she was a little bit - having technically hidden information was always useful. But most of the time, discovering the secrets of others was just a matter of keeping your mouth shut and your eyes and ears wide open. Like that particular moment.

"I don't believe he was capable of it!" The girl Aurora supposed to be the oldest of the sisters for her considerable superiority in stature, snorted. Her eyes were burning with rage.

"Bella..."

"Andy, did you see the audacity of that bastard? He didn't even look surprised!" The eldest complained again. Bella had thick, unruly strands. The black wide curls were very different from Sirius' soft waves, and from Narcissa's perfecty defined ones . Much could be argued that the eldest of the sisters had brown eyes, but when Aurora dared to look her in the eye, all she could see was scarlet like wine. Perhaps looking at her was a fatal mistake, as Bella immediately noticed the look upon her.

"Hey, you were talking to him on the train! Was this little shit planning this all the time?"

"Bella!"

"When you meet him again, tell Sirius that he will be sorry," the oldest of the Blacks ordered, and Aurora's eyes widened.

"Bella, Uncle Orion and Aunt Wal are going to fix Sirius, you don't have to be involved in that." Narcissa argued pulling her lips. "Unintentionally or not, he will not suffer the consequences. Leave him in peace."

  
Bella was ready to argue, but Narcissa diverted her hysterical sister's attention and returned to the tranquility of her dinner. Meanwhile, Andy tried, in vain, to calm the older girl's fury.

  
Aurora was surprised by the Slytherin's reaction. People cared more about homes than she ever imagined.

  
"Don't mind Bella," said a voice behind her." She is upset because Sirius got all the spotlight for him without having to do anything worth." Aurora turned and found one of the first years. Sand blonde hair, clear blue eyes.

  
"Rabastan Lestrange." He introduced himself.

"Aurora Selwyn." Answered the girl. Rabastan laughed.

"I know you are." He said. "It's kind of hard to forget you."

Aurora felt her cheeks heat up, but decided to pretend to be cool.

"Where are you from?" Asked Lestrange. "I thought the Selwyns had gone extinct."

Aurora wondered why he thought that. That boy seemed to know more about her family than she did. Aurora didn't want to look desperate for information. If he knew she knew absolutely nothing - okay, absolutely nothing was a bit of an exaggeration, but her ignorance was enough to arouse concern - he could use it to trick her, somehow.

"Still, here I am." She smiled. "You shouldn't believe rumors so easily." He raised his eyebrow at the mysterious answer. Apparently she wasn't going to give him any direct replies tonight. Rabastan just smiled back and returned his attention to his dinner. Rabastan Lestrange's night was going well, thank you. He had sat down with his older brother, Rodolphus, on the train, and had met some of his friends, like Lucius Malfoy. He had been selected in the right house, and now he was sitting next to a pretty girl. He didn't expect things to end so well. But, stirring the food on his plate, he thought about how he disliked Bartemius Crouch - no matter if he was pure blood, Barty was unbearable - and how he would be forced to tolerate him from then on. _“Our family has to maintain good connections”_ said his father and brother. It was for the same reason that Rodolphus had associated himself with Lucius and vice versa. The difference is that Lucius and Rodolphus liked each other, and Rabastan simply could not develop companionship for the Crouch heir.

Aurora wanted to continue the conversation, she knew that making connections inside her home was very important - which would not have been a problem if Sirius Black had done her the favor of ending up in the right house - but she didn't know what to talk to the Lestrange boy.

In the end, both ended up finishing dinner in silence.

Aurora sometimes scanned the Gryffindor table, where James looked cheerful and Remus comfortable. Sirius had a smile on his face, but she didn't believe he was as calm as he was trying to look. Lily rolled her eyes at James' jokes, but she didn't seem particularly bothered. The pink-haired girl wondered if she would have fit better there, among the lions and their general affection.

When the reception ceremony finally came to an end, everyone was released to go to the dorms. Aurora got up first, wanting to talk to James and Sirius before hiding in the dungeons. In quick steps she found them in the red whirlpool that formed beside the Gryffindor table.

"It looks like you're a snake after all." James said crossing his arms.

"It seems so." Aurora sighed. "You're not going be dramatic about it, are you?"

James looked deeply offended by the speculation.

"ME?" The boy almost shouted. "For your information, miss, I am the most understanding person I know. If I'm resentful that you would rather be with the snakes than your faithful friends in the best Hogwarts house?" He snorted and smiled. "Of course not. In fact I am sorry that _you_ have been cursed to be in the house that will lose all Quidditch championships from now on."

"And the housing winning competitions." Sirius added with mockery.

"The way you two are going to lose points, I highly doubt it!" Aurora replied.

"Ah, we can lose all points we want, with those two - James pointed to Remus and Lily who were talking about one of the topics in the book they had read before boarding. - We are guaranteed."

"Okay, you guys might have a point." She laughed.

"Did you manage to find someone else decent in the snake's den?" Potter asked.

Aurora rolled her eyes.

"They are not bad and were actually kind to me. Your cousin welcomed me, Sirius." The rosy informed. The mention of the family made Sirius' smile immediately fail. Aurora bit her bottom lip. "Narcissa didn't look bad… " She added kindly. "She defended you... Sort of..."

Sirius laughed weakly.

"Cissy is shrewd, but she has a good heart. But I'm sure she is also angry."

"You will understand each other." The girl declared in a gentle voice. "You can't run away from them, Sirius. Family is family."

Sirius knew that Aurora had the best of intentions, but that phrase made him feel absolutely terrible. Yes, family was family. It should be like that. People that you could count on, no matter what, thar don’t abandon you when you make a mistake. Who support you even if they don't agree with your decisions. But Sirius was not naive enough to believe that this would be the case. Not with his family.

Unfortunately, a minimal hope at the bottom of his chest began to grow.

Maybe she was right.

Cissy had defended him, Andy had always been the kindest of sisters and Bella, as much as she was full of fury, was loyal to the family. Perhaps they would welcome him, perhaps help to face the waves of hatred that would surely come from Orion and Walburga. Perhaps…

Putting all his faith in that maybe, Sirius made a decision. He wouldn't sleep that night.

Before the little group could continue their chat, the monitors started pulling the first year lines to their respective dormitories. Aurora said goodbye to her friends with hugs and said she would see them the next day at the breakfast table. Sirius and James headed for the Gryffindor tower and Aurora and her housemates marched into the darkest part of the castle, the dungeons. How cool was it that their dorm was underground?

As Aurora walked, she observed the environment around her, the pictures with their bright colors and their inhabitants full of personality, the stairs almost alive, the mysterious walls that hid so many secrets. Despite having grown up with magic in her life from the first moments, she never failed to be enchanted by everything. Magic was stunning, and it was really a privilege that she had that power running through her veins. Aurora might miss the warm aura of her Gryffindor friends, but deep down, she knew Slytherin was her place. She had a clear idea of what she wanted for her future, and she needed to be around people who, like her, would do anything to achieve the visions they had planned. While thinking about how to get along with colleagues, someone touched his shoulder. Aurora was startled, and bumped into the person in front of her. Fortunately, that person was Rabastan Lestrange, who was not bothered by the girl's lack of grace.

"You are the Selwyn girl, right?" The kid responsible for the question was a small boy, his head basically hit Aurora's shoulder. The badly cut hair was brown, and almost covered his eyes. While Remus' locks took on a honey tone, the strands of this stranger resembled a shade of reddish brown, which could hardly be mistaken for red, but that was clearly distinguished from ordinary brown. The boy's hazel irises were magnified by the thick lenses of his black round-rimmed glasses. He looked too young to be there.

"Who are you?" Aurora asked raising an eyebrown. 

"Barty, leave her alone ..." Rabastan broke into the conversation, putting himself beside the girl. Aurora shot him a reproachful look. She didn't need a ransom, or anything. She could handle the situation herself. The boy, Barty, gave Rabastan a confused look.

"Rabs," Aurora can feel Rabastan shaking with disgust at the use of the nickname. "I'm not bothering her." He defended himself. "I just wanted to make sure this was the Selwyn girl because I wanted to ask where she was for the past eleven years. I also wanted to know if her parents are still missing or if she had any luck looking for them."

"Bartemius!" Rabastan was exasperated. It was no longer enough to have to endure Crouch's clueless personality at parent meetings and balls and parties, now Rabastan would have to be his private nanny even at Hogwarts to protect innocent people from his idiocy."

Aurora was almost affronted by those questions. Was he making fun of her? She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in disdain.

"I don't think any of this is any of your business." The girl said coldly, lifted her nose and walked away, deciding that it was not worth stressing for someone like him. "And have more sense the next time you meddle in someone else's life!"

Rabastan and Barty walked after her so they weren't far behind the group of first year Slytherins. Although the walk to the dungeons was not a long one, the Head Boy was taking a tour with great dedication, explaining crucial points about what their routine would be like from now on.

"I can't believe you did that ..." Rabastan whispered to his tiny almost-friend. Barty adjusted his glasses, more out of mania than necessity.

"I wanted to get a reaction out of her." Explained him. "I thought she might fail, but she does have the prickly nose of pureblood families." Barty looked at Rabastan as if describing a very curious fact of nature. "You know, some people think that arrogance is created, built within them. But some pureblood families are just born that way, you know? It's in their genes."

Barty spoke very complicated things to a boy of only eleven, and sometimes Rabastan found himself too lazy to try to follow his reasoning. And with sometimes, he meant on most occasions. At that particular moment, however, Lestrange was interested in the subject.

"She hasn't asked any stupid questions so far so she must have grown up with magic". Barty added thoughtfully.

Rabastan raised his eyebrows.

"Are you testing her? Why?"

Barty's gaze seemed to go dark for a moment.

"Everyone thought the Selwyn lineage had come to an end. There are only two members of the family left, they are my grandparents' age, and they left the wizarding society many years ago."

"Why?" Rabastan did not know much about the Selwyn family, which was precisely the reason that had prompted his question earlier. Unlike Barty, however, he was tactful enough to ask without making the girl feel attacked. The elitist wizard society was very fond of gossip, and that was a fact. His parents could not help but smile, poison dripping between their lips, when the rumor spread that the Malfoys could not be considered a true pureblood amily, as they accepted half bloods in their family tree, and acted as if they were pure . It was also a time of delight for the Lestrange family when they learned that the Prewetts had lost everything in a fire that completely destroyed the family's mansion, along with all their possessions. That same night, their coffers in Gringotts were emptied to ensure the survival of the two heirs of the family, the twins who had almost tragically lost their lives due to the fire. But the Selwyn family? They had left the scene so long ago, isolated in a crystal jar... There was nothing more to gossip about them.

"No one knows why they suddenly cut themselves off ... But the last news of someone with the surname Selwyn was in 1963, a girl who was found dead, murdered."

"And who was she?"

Barty smiled sinisterly.

"No one knows, there are no records of her anywhere."Not even at Hogwarts. It is as if she never existed. They only learned that she belonged to the Selwyn clan after many tests, and even then the two left remaining family members denied any relationship with her."

"So you think Aurora is some kind of an imposter." Lestrange deduced.

"I think she is suspicious, Rabs." Declared the boy. The two were a little more distant from the Slytherin group, but continued to accompany them. Rabastan once again had to restrain himself from strangling his partner due to the use of the nickname. They really didn't have the intimacy for that type of denomination, as much as they had known each other since diapers, but here they were, discussing conspiracy theories about the family of a girl they had just met!

"She really came out of nowhere ..." Rabastan acknowledged. "But you're being paranoid, she showed up with the other two Selwyns at our ball last fall, remember?" Rodolphus and Rabastan's parents liked to dance. It was one of their favorite hobbies, spending huge amounts of time and money to meet with a bunch of other people who would also spend huge amounts of time and money pampering themselves to make their grand entrance. At that particular ball, the Selwyns had attended. Something considered imaginable until recently, after almost two decades of absence. And together with the main couple, there was their little heir, Aurora. Rabastan was ill on the day of the ball in question - caught the flu after being deceived by his brother and friends - and lost the celebration, in his bed, recovering. Barty looked at him skeptically.

"And where was she at all the balls before that?"

* * *

The entrance to the Slytherin common room was located behind a bare stone wall in the castle's dungeons. It was a huge and luxurious place, a long, low underground room, with rough stone walls and ceilings, from which round, greenish lamps hung from chains. A fire crackled under an elaborately carved fireplace in front of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs. The room extended partly under the lake, giving the light a green shade. The place had many black and dark green button-patterned leather sofas with low backs; skulls; and dark wood cabinets. It was decorated with tapestries, presenting the adventures of the famous medieval Slytherins. It had a very grand atmosphere, but it was also very cold. The whole place had the aura of a mysterious underwater shipwreck ".

"As you can see, the windows look out over the depths of the Black Lake. We often see the giant squid swimming, and sometimes more interesting creatures." The monitor started once everyone had entered. "The mermaids are also very fond of appearing, and get upset if we don't talk to them."

"How can we talk to them?" One of the first year asked in the crowd.

"Sign language" Said the monitor simply.

"But don't trust them for dating advice." A girl Aurora identified as Andy Black, Sirus's cousin, manifested herself with a playful smile. "They are terrible."

"The advice is usually to kill the guy." Narcissa adds causing laughter.

"Which is not bad advice, if you really think about it." Completed Bella darkly. Many laughed, others smiled nervously.

The three sisters were sitting comfortably in the armchairs closest to the fire. Bella still looked angry, but calmer. Aurora imagined that those three must be the Slytherin's profane trinity. Popularity should be an easy thing to achieve when you are rich and beautiful. Although they were sitting in relaxed poses, Andy with a book in her hand, Cissy smoothing her hair and Bella - a little less relaxed than the others - with their legs crossed and her wand spinning between her fingers, they seemed to float above the rest. Of course, the Black sisters' reputation was due to much more than just beauty and money, but Aurora still didn't know that. And with eyes shining with anticipation, she decided right there that she wanted to be like them. _Slytherin royalty._

The common room password changed every fortnight and would be posted on the bulletin board. Slytherin students are advised to never bring students from other houses into the common room or reveal the password. No stranger has supposedly entered the dungeons for more than seven centuries. At almost ten o'clock, the first year students were welcomed and were released to their dorms. Narcissa once again approached the pink-haired girl.

"You were the only girl selected for Slytherin this year, that leaves the entire first year room to you." She winked and smiled. "You are very lucky. Come with me."

Aurora followed Narcissa up a long, curved mahogany staircase. When they reached the top, the girls came across a grand door. Narcissa pointed to the other end of the corridor they were standing on. 

"There is the boys' dorm."She explained. "If one day you need it, there is a one-way passage that takes you there somewhere in the third year girls' room." The blonde said. Aurora immediately turned red, and Narcissa laughed lightly. She opened the door and the two came across a semicircle room with seven doors. Each door had a number on top, from one to seven.

"Each door leads to one of the bedrooms depending on your year. " Said Narcissa gesturing quickly. "In the other houses you will find more than one room for the girls each year, but as we never have many, one is enough. Not _everyone_ can be Slytherin." She commented with a smug smile, as if they were both part of a secret club. "Well, good night, see you tomorrow."

And with that, the older one said goodbye, and Aurora entered her room. Before entering, however, she noticed that the names of the members of each room were engraved on the top of the doors. The names Narcissa Black, Andromeda Black and Bellatrix Black were scattered among the entries, each in a different year. Aurora almost found herself looking for the name of Rabastan Lestrange, but remembered that he would be in the boys' dormitory. 

The room was big and spacious, but it didn't have much. A double bed, a small sofa and two bedside tables, placed on both sides of the bed, serving as support for the lamps. The window was large, running from floor to ceiling, with thick curtains at the side. Outside, the greenish waters of the Black Lake were almost completely blackened by the lack of sun. Aurora imagined that perhaps the lack of heart and florisms was so that she would have the freedom to decorate the place as she pleased. The girl was immediately encouraged by the idea. She noticed that the room had also been equipped with a dressing table and noticed her trunk by the bed. She sighed with relief, she had been barely able to put her trunk on the train due to the haste with which she left the house. Aurora walked over to the bed and knelt beside the suitcase, she never had much, not because she didn't want to, of course. But when she moved into her grandparents' mansion, the first thing her grandmother, Lyta, did was to give the girl a day of transformation. From the miserable orphan she always was, to the heiress she would be from that day on.

Lyta had not really accompanied her granddaughter during the process. She barely looked her in the eye, actually, but the old Selwyn had ordered the best hairdressers and beauticians in the wizarding world to fix the girl. By the end of the day, her hair had come to life, her nails were well taken care of, and the bruises and wounds that were drawn on her skin like a map were gone. Only one of her scars persisted against the spells. Her lips were moisturized and her teeth were practically glowing in the dark. She was perfect, although the pounds needed to make up a healthy appearance could not be filled overnight. Her new closet was also freshly filled with clothes that were “suitable” for a “respectable society lady” as she was. Or it would be, from then on.

Aurora took her wand, pushing those thoughts away. That was her life now, and it was her duty to appropriate to it as if it had always been hers. No one could know the truth.

She stood up and handled her wand elegantly, or almost. The black walls took on a dark green tone, and were decorated with a golden floral ornament - Aurora knew that the colors of Slytherin were green and silver, but gold simply suited much better with the decoration. She changed the upholstery and added a rug under the bed. After a few more touches, Aurora finally felt at home.

Tired, the girl decided to prepare herself to sleep, she saw two doors in the opposite direction of the bed, one of them was probably the bathroom and the other the closet. Aurora decided that she was going to leave the organization of her things to the next day and went to the bathroom for a long and relaxing bath. It was so easy to get used to a life of pampering and wealth, she had no idea what she would do if she ever lost all of it.

But of course, being an heiress had a price, and she would soon discover that paying it would not be so easy.

And maybe, it wasn't worth it.

* * *

Aurora was having a peaceful sleep, really. No dreams, no nightmares, just enjoying the benefits of non-awareness. And then she woke up with an unbearable itch on her left arm. She opened her eyes and confusedly tried to turn on one of the lamps. When Aurora returned her attention to her arm to try to discover the reason for the discomfort, she was surprised to find black letters covering her skin.

> **Aurora, we need your help. Meet us in the Great Hall. -James and Sirius.**


	3. Restricted Section

Walking through the cold dungeons, Aurora seriously considered whether it was worth risking her neck for the needs of two people she had met just hours before. She hadn't come to Hogwarts to make friends, after all. All the work, all the schemes and lies that had allowed the girl to get here were committed with the purpose of proving that she was ready to play the role of heiress to the family, a role that her grandmother reluctantly passed on to her simply because there was no one else.

The classic black silk nightgown she had on was certainly not enough to keep Aurora warm, and the girl walked as quickly as she could without making a sound. But, in any case, she had been curious when she received the message, and if she didn't like them enough to come to their aid based on that, her curiosity would certainly do the job of getting her out of bed. When finally, after a few wrong entries, Aurora managed to find the right way to the Great Hall, James and Sirius were sitting at the Gryffindor table, both also in their pajamas. Sirius wore robes similar to hers, with long black pants and a satin button top. James, on the other hand, had simple cotton pajamas with blue stripes, for some reason they were both barefoot.

The pair watched Aurora approach, her pink hair braided back and the expression of someone who hadn't really enjoyed being woken up in the middle of the night painted in her face.

"What do you want?" Asked the girl in a tired tone of voice, the arched eyebrows and the hands on her hips made her look very similar to what Mrs. Potter looked like when caught James doing something he shouldn't. "And how did you manage to do this spell? I studied our books before coming and I guarantee that one was not there." Aurora was not happy at all with the prospect that the first day of classes hadn't even started and someone was already ahead of her, which was enough reason for Aurora's sour expression, plus the fact that her sleep was interrupted. Could it be that studying at home the first year books had not been enough? Would it have been sloppy of her not to study the other years? Before Aurora could get even more stressed by debating all these points, James started to speak.

"We convinced Remus to do-"

"How does Remus know that spell?"

"I need to enter the Slytherin dorm." Sirius interrupted, being blunt. Aurora looked at the two of them as if they had lost their minds. But from what she was realizing, none of them had anything worth losing anyway. She crossed her arms, shifting the weight from one leg to the other, and blew out a breath.

"Sirius, I can't do this. During the presentation of the dorms we were told that there are no strangers in the Slytherin dorm for over 70 years! I would have a bad reputation on my back even before the year started." Aurora explained. "And what do you want to do there, anyway? I thought you rejected us."

James shot a look at the girl for her evident lack of sensitivity, to which Aurora just stared back at him. It was obvious that Sirius was upset about something, and needed to to restore his peace. During dinner, the heir of the Black family seemed to adapt well to Gryffindor, he certainly matched the red and gold more than the green and silver of the enemy house, at least in James's opinion. But from that moment until they were sent to their dorms, Potter knew there was something wrong with his new friend. Maybe it was because James Potter could be an excellent observer when he wanted to, maybe because, despite being a Black trained to not show his true feelings, Sirius was still young and smart enough to realize the seriousness of the situation. A weakness in his confident smile, a discomfort in his breathing. As the night went on, whatever was torturing Sirius inside was becoming more and more apparent. When the boys locked themselves in their dormitory - Remus, James, Sirius and two others who completed the five heads per room - and James suggested that they stayed up all night celebrating the fact that they had become roommates, Sirius was barely paying attention in the conversation anymore. And then, he suddenly exploded, convinced Remus to do the pell contact Aurora, and convinced James to come with him.

"I need to speak to my cousins ..." He said urgently.

"Then why did you call me?"

"The spell only works with someone you know." Explained James. "Remus knows you, but none of his cousins."

Taking a mental note to ask Lupin for the spell later, Aurora faced Sirius once again. "Sirius, it's the middle of the night ..." 

"I need to take care of this. Before the news reaches my parents." The boy insisted, stepping out of his seat at the table, and approaching the Aurora, the yellow light from the candles reflecting off his pale complexion. Once again, gold and silver played with their contrasts between the persevering looks of the two heirs. But it wasn't a real fight, Aurora knew, Sirius was begging, or as close as a Black would come to beg

"What news?" James asked.

Sirius turned his head and looked at him. Many would hesitate in front of him, even at the age of eleven, James Potter, but Sirius was a Black and this type of behavior was not allowed from him.

"That I ... I am a Gryffindor."

"I thought you had liked to join Gryffindor." Potter's tone was accusatory, daring Sirius to deny his words. James suddenly got up from where he was sitting since the conversation started and his eyes met Sirius'. James did not like the Black family, yet another family of purebloods who felt better than the rest of the magical community for the blood that ran through their veins, but his father had taught him to think twice before blaming children for their parents' sins. it was enough that they carried in their surname the weight - and often shame - that their ancestors had cursed them so many years before their birth. But Sirius was more than a Black now, he was a Gryffindor, something about him made him different. Even so, James didn't like the tone Sirius used when talking about the lions' house, as if it were a tragedy that had befallen him .

"I think I fit in here." Sirius answered seriously. "But things are not so simple."

James's face hardened.

"Sirius…"

It was obvious to him that Sirius had evolved. That he had found salvation in the midst of the darkness that was his family, in the head of an eleven-year-old boy who was always taught that the right is the right, and the right is not always easy, but we can’t stop doing it. it, it was consistent logic. But the world wasn’t as black and white as James thought back then, and while James would grow up to be able to see the gray complexities around them, Sirius would become a man with the strength of judgment of apparently pure integrity and honor that James Potter, the boy he would admire until the day of his death, held that moment.

Seeing that the two of them would get nowhere - and worse, they would waste her time - if they started to discuss honor and blah blah blah right there, Aurora intervened.

"I think I can do something for you, Sirius."

The boys looked at her.

"Wait here." Completed Aurora and disappeared into the darkness of the castle.

James and Sirius sat back at the wooden table of their house, anxiously waiting for the girl to arrive again, some tension hanging over them. After only a few minutes that seemed to last an eternity, Aurora appeared again in the shadows, a taller, slimmer figure gracefully coming after her. Narcissa Black revealed herself to the pair of boys with an unreadable expression drawn on her face. She had a tunic protecting her intimate robes from the boys' eyes, and Aurora now appeared imitating her with a sky blue tunic around her robes. Narcissa stood by the candlelight, waiting, graceful as always.

Sirius got up and walked over to her, he wanted to explain, but the words didn't seem like much.

"Cissy ... I ..."

"Sirius." She cuts it, without courtesy. "What do you want from me, you know I can't help."

"I know I caused trouble ... But it wasn't on purpose, Cissy. I didn't have this planned."

The blonde watched him for a few seconds, her head hammering. She had not lied when she told the boy that she couldn't help him, but in fact, she didn't even know if she _wanted_ to do it in the first place. If a Black made a mistake, everyone paid the price, it was their way of teaching that family should come first. And the way things had happened, all this mess seemed to have been caused only due to Sirius' unwillingness to cooperate and his desire to throw a tantrum.

On the other hand, however, Narcissa wanted to believe him. Sirius was very aware of the fragile family structure that was established in the Black dynasty. _He has a fragile temper, however,_ the girl remembered, wrinkling her nose, Narcissa could remember various inopportune situations in which Sirius and his desire to exercise his will had caused problems. Sometimes the boy had noble desires, Narcissa could admit, but even taking that into consideration, she needed to be practical in analyzing that Sirius always had a hard time accepting the world as it was, especially when it came to the destinations plotted for him, and the boy bandaging himself into Gryffindor - the fucking house that was Slytherin's century-old enemy, where they belonged - it looked a lot like one of his rebellious attacks.

Narcissa felt the threat of a headache, she knew that this problem was not simple. A Hogwarts house was not just a house for her parents and uncles. Tradition was tradition. Tradition was _everything_. And the whirlwind that would be unleashed by that supposedly insignificant small change in the chain would be a curse for them all. She wanted to yell at him, but she did not move, nor was she moved, just pursed her lips again, maintaining the controlled and indifferent posture that she had been taught to post since she could walk. That was the bearing of nobility.

"You know your parents are already aware, right?" She replied with cold simplicity.

"I am expecting letters of unpleasant content to arrive soon."

"It will be worse than that, Sirius ... This time you will not go unpunished ..." Sirius never went unpunished for anything his parents found him doing, but he knew exactly what his cousin meant by that phrase. Narcissa sighed. "Our family has been in Slytherin for years. Remember that the rope always breaks on the weakest side."

"You don't think they would..."

"Not only do I think they would, but I think they might already have."

Aurora and James watched the conversation steadily between the two Blacks, understanding almost nothing. While James floated between the phrases, having already given up on understanding and just accepting that Sirius would have to explain everything to him later, Aurora was attentive to each syllable, hoping that the information they exchanged would make sense in her head later.

"Do better," Narcissa finally warned. "I know you are able to make your parents satisfied so don't waste time." She almost smiled. And then came closer and looked him in the eye, the icy gray burning. "And never involve third parties again when it comes to family matters."

Sirius nodded. And before Narcissa disappeared back to her dorm, the blonde asked him one last question.

"Do you regret it?"

Sirius' silence was a sufficient response. There was no point in lying, Sirius was a terrible liar, and Narcissa was excellent at detecting lies. Without worrying about saying goodbye, the Black girl disappeared, carrying her anger with her.

"Your family really takes this house thing seriously." Aurora said raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah ..." Sirius sighed. "It's actually a little more complicated than that ..."

"Your house is what you believe in." Completed James. " We all know it is so." He commented and looked at Aurora as if implying that someone like her should also know. "My father believes that the hat chooses our houses for what we value and not exactly according to our personality. If not, what would be the chances of an entire family of different people ending up in the same house?"

Aurora knew that Sirius' parents were certainly not in favor of what the lions house represented - she had studied about them before taking the train. Most importantly, she had met them at the Lestrange family ball.

"Well, then you're going to have to prove that you can be the child they expect, even though you're in Gryffindor." Aurora concluded and approached the boy. "It seems that your family's well-being depends on it. " She sighed. "Anyway, family is important. You should at least try."

Sirius tried to smile, maybe it was possible.

But it probably wasn't.

"Okay, but now I think it's time to go back to our dorms." Said the tired pink.

"Ah ... It's our first night at the castle! Since we're here, we should do something ... Cool!" James proposed with a smile that Aurora would learn to categorize as dangerous over the years.

"Tomorrow is the first day of school ..." Aurora remembered.

James rolled his eyes, but put his arms around the shoulders of the two friends, and smiled even more.

"It's only a problem if we get caught," he pointed out. Sirius and Aurora exchanged looks. James was one of those cool people who made you feel bad if you didn't agree with his ideas. Aurora wanted to be a good student, wanted to prove that her grandmother was wrong. And as much as it once seemed beyond the impossible, she did want to achieve greatness, as the spirit of her house inspired her to do.

And after 10 years of a bland life with no place for the joy of simply doing something for fun, it was a difficult request to refuse. But Aurora couldn't be distracted from her goal.

"James I think-"

And then they heard footsteps.

James grimaced and Sirius looked like he was about to panic. Aurora pulled the two of them under the wooden Gryffindor table without delicacy and in a hurry.

The steps became louder and louder until the three began to hear whispers.

_"We shouldn't be here..."_

_"Stop being a crybaby._ _If we can find the chamber, our life will become at least a thousand times better."_

_"They were making fun of us, Barty ... We won't be able to find that chamber, it's been closed for 20 years or whatever."_

Barty? Bartemius Crouch? The boy who had pestered her earlier? If one of the voices belonged to him, it was almost obvious who the second one belonged to.

Rabastan Lestrange.

Under the table, Sirius and James looked at each other in confusion, but Aurora knew what they were referring to. The Chamber of Secrets.

_"Rabs, we can't give up yet, it's just our first night of searching."_

_"You're delusional if you think I'm going to continue this fruitless search with you every night,"_ Rabastan replied crossly, and Aurora could imagine his face contort in an expression of disgust. Why were those two looking for the Chamber? It had been lost for many years, and as far as Aurora knew, nothing good had come of its existence ...

_"If you continue with that unfortunate disposition, we will lose to the other rookie."_ Barty hissed.

_"Aurora? She has better things to do."_

_"Yeah, it must be a tremendous energy struggle, hiding all those secrets ..."_

_"What secrets?"_

The question had been asked from Rabastan to Barty, but Aurora could feel Sirius and James on her side internally wondering the same.

_"It is exactly what I want to find out. And I am not the only one."_

He was not?

_"Aren't you the only one obsessed with her?"_

_"Rabastan, you sometimes surprise me with your naivety. Whenever a new species is introduced to the ecosystem, the dominant species get uneasy. They will either accept it as part of them to avoid competition or ..."_

_"Or?"_

_"Or they will destroy the threat."_

The two continued to talk as they left the Great Hall and when they finally left sight, Sirius, James and Aurora revealed themselves out of hiding.

"That was close!" Said James. Sirius sighed with relief and the two boys looked over at their friend, who was standing with an unreadable expression on her face.

"James ... Are you still in the mood to do something tonight?"

Sirius and James looked at each other, surprised by the question.

"What do you have in mind?" Asked Sirius.

"We could go to the forest ..." suggested Potter.

"The Highly Not Recommended Forest?"

James smiled.

"That's right."

"As much as I respect your enthusiasm, James, I don't want to die today." Aurora laughs. James looks at her, confused. And the girl explains. "We have no idea what's in the forest, only that what's there has very powerful abilities to kill us. It's our first night, I think we can wait a while before going to the most dangerous place on the property."

James seemed convinced enough.

"And do you have any ideas?" Sirius said, his tone was directed at Aurora, she smiled.

"But of course!" She said with joy. "Let's go to the Restricted Section!"

The boys stared at her with clear disappointment before laughing.

"Is that your idea?" James mocked. "Going to the library?"

"Aurora, I'm disappointed, I expected more from you…"

"Such a nerd!" Potter laughed.

The girl pressed her lips together in discontent, and slapped them lightly on the heads.

"Don't be fools, idiots." Aurora exclaimed. "The Restricted Section is basically a room full of things that the school does not want us to know, because A, they think we would use this knowledge for nothing good or B, because they think we are not reliable, and you two morons are both: nothing good and unreliable." She explained facing the two. James seemed astonishingly happy to be categorized as "nothing good and unreliable" but Aurora would soon learn that James judged those categories basically invalid depending on who was categorizing him as such. And Sirius, knowing his own temperament, just agreed. "But it just means that the secrets of Hogwarts are there!" The girl declared enthusiastically. "If we want to run the school, the knowledge we need is there. Besides, I'm sure that there we will find some spell strong enough to go in the forest one day ..." Completed. "Without dying, I mean."

Knowledge was power. And Aurora Selwyn's curiosity was constantly starving.

She knew it was risky, of course, especially for the reputation she wanted to build, but given these new facts, she needed information more than ever.

What had happened to her family?

Why was everyone so suspicious?

Why did Barty and Rabastan want to find the Chamber of Secrets? Who had instructed them to look for it?

And wow, those two were certainly less intelligent than they seemed if their initial strategy was to walk around the school at dawn like two idiots looking blindly for a place that had “secret” in its name.

"Okay, okay, you convinced me." James smiled slightly. "Since we are apparently planning to start a reign at school, I have something we can use tonight." His smile grows. "You don't have any plans to sleep today, do you?"

James Potter did not enter Hogwarts with the intentions of "running the school", but if his new friend spoke of such a thing with such a sparkle in her eyes, he saw no problem in helping her make that reign possible. Furthermore, deep down he knew that Aurora was right anyway, if they were going to venture through Hogwarts, they needed to know its secrets and powerful spells!

The three headed for the Gryffindor dormitory, where James whispered the password to the Fat Lady.

"You shouldn't be out of bed ..." She commented. "And you, miss." She said watching Aurora from head to toe. "She doesn't belong to Gryffindor." James and Sirius looked at each other, fearing that the painting would threaten them, call Mcgonagall or shout and wake up the whole school. Aurora, however, was more cunning and immediately smiled at the Fat Lady gracefully.

"Ah, we know we shouldn't." She said sweetly. "But when the boys told me that the door to Gryffindor was a painting!" Aurora put exaggerated excitement in the sentence. "I begged them to bring me here to see it!" She laughed, a little nervous.

"Why, don't you have any paitings at home?" The Fat Lady looked genuinely surprised. And Aurora almost bit her tongue for her carelessness, was having talking paitings at home something common in the wizarding world? She hadn't seen any of them at her grandmother's…

"Yes ... Yes, but none ... None as magnificent as you, you know! It is really a different thing!"

"Yes!" James agreed shaking his head. "And our friend here was dying to go to the bathroom and the dungeons are so far away, poor thing!"

"Yes ,yes." Dramatized Sirius. "By the time she got there it would be too late..."

"We promise that as soon as she is relieved, we will take her straight to the snake home." James smiled pleasantly.

"I am sure this is not necessary!" Exclaimed the painting. "She is a big girl and can find her own way. Alone."

"Yes, true." Sirius agreed solemnly. "But it would be such a non gentleman thing on our part, don't you think?"

"I was told that you sing well?" Aurora intervened.

It was cheap manipulation, but not everyone is born in the trade. More importantly, it was enough. The Fat Lady immediately seemed to forget the castle rules and engaged in lively conversation with Aurora about her musical gifts. The pink-haired girl might not be a master manipulator at first, but clearly she was an experienced liar because the way she looked at her "new friend" and projected genuine interest would have deceived anyone. After a long ten minutes, the woman in the painting finally felt satisfied and decided to allow the three to move into the common room.

"Lovely friend, boys!" She said again before they disappeared up the stairs of the boys' dormitory. "Bring her here more often!"

James carefully opened the door to their bedroom, Sirius and Aurora in his pursuit. At his fingertips he went to his trunk, on the edge of his bed. On the left side, Remus had his bed surrounded with the red Gryffindor canopy, and from the sounds coming out of his direction, he seemed to be having a peaceful night. Everything was completely dark, except for the light from the moon that shone high in the sky. The window that separated James and Sirius' beds was large and the view of the silver celestial thing was breathtaking.

James whispered "lumos" and his wand lit up. While he searched for what they had come to get, Aurora looked at the Gryffindor dormitory. She had had the opportunity to quickly see the common room, red, round and extravagant. The dorm was similar in all these senses, but if Aurora were to describe it in one word, she would use “comfortable”. Four four-poster beds were covered with red comforters and curtains, a bedside table by the side and bags at the foot of the bed. A yellow Gryffindor strip with the house's mascot hung over the beds, with a wooden chair and a dresser on either side. A wooden board was placed on both sides of the beds, probably for the students to decorate. The dormitory had stone walls and wooden floors. The windows, red curtains. The place gave an impression of "home". It was different from Slytherin, neither better nor worse, just different. Or at least in her opinion.

"I found it!" James murmured and called the two friends to approach. Aurora and Sirius crouched on the floor with Potter and he happily showed them a silver cloak. As if holding Godric Gryffindor's own sword, he raised his eyebrows and waved the cloak in front of his friends once more. Sirius and Aurora looked at each other, not understanding what that should mean.

"Elegant."

"Chic"

James rolled his eyes. And a second later it disappeared.

"JAMES ?!" Sirius whispered urgently to the void in front of him where the boy was seconds ago and Aurora was shaking her head frantically in all directions looking for him. The wanted person in question appeared sitting on Sirius' bed smiling like a child. Well, at least the head had appeared.

"Where's the rest of you?" Sirius asked the floating head. James laughed and suddenly the rest of his body was back, with his legs crossed on the bed.

"Invisibility cloak." He explained and threw the cloak in the direction of friends. Aurora's eyes shone with interest with the cloak in hand.

"This is perfect!"

"I know!" James bragged. "Let's go."

The three hurried on, putting the cloak well hidden under James' shirt. They said goodbye to the Fat Lady sweetly and when they finally disappeared from her view, James revealed the cloak by placing it at the top of the three. The cloak was large and they were small enough to fit all inside it, but that did not mean that they were succeeding at first, and several exclamations of discontent were whispered under the cloak.

_"Sirius, stop stepping on my foot!"_

_"How can I not step if you don't walk?"_

_"If I walk faster than that, I will hit James and the three of us will fall!"_

_"Aurora, stop pulling on my shirt, so I'm going to fall!"_

_"It is because you have a shitty eyesight, you almost stumbled about thirty times, let me take the lead in this thing!"_

_"My cloak my rules!"_

With difficulty, the three finally made it to the library. Quickly putting the tip of the wand out of the cloak, Aurora murmured.

"Alohomora." And the wooden door opened for them.

The Hogwarts library was like any ordinary library, at least at night. Large, spacious and with more books than it should be possible to read in a lifetime. The three pairs of eyes searched for the tape that separated the Restricted Section from the rest of the library.

So that none of them would be left unprotected or exposed outside the cloak, the trio silently agreed to remain in a group under protection, looking for their goal in unity. Until finally James' hazelnut irises spotted the target. He caught the eye of Sirius and Aurora, who soon saw the door to the glorious Restricted Section, blocked by a warning strip.

The three approached and before James put his anxious hands on the doorknob, Aurora grabbed his arm, reflecting if Dumbledore or any of the teachers had been concerned with protecting the place with something beyond the sash. Abrasive spells, for example, that would be able to render the three unconscious, or some curse that would transform the three into some creature like frogs or toads. Or would they have considered that no one would be able - or would have the interest - to break the rules accordingly?

Seeing a large padlock beside the door, Aurora understood that the truth was much simpler than her speculations. This time, James cast the spell and the three entered, wands lit in hand.

The Restricted Section was a little tight, but with books around the four walls, enough to make you dizzy. A window extended to the back, not too big, just enough that the residents of the room were not overwhelmed by the lack of ventilation. The Session also had a few high counters and a few chairs, of course indicating that the session was really reserved for students older - and taller - than themselves. James took the cloak off them, placing it under the wooden counter.

"Look for something interesting." Said Aurora already distracted by the possibilities that awaited her, and they spread. Aurora sat down in one of the chairs and began to run her hand slowly through the volumes: Pope Leo's Handbook; The Most Dangerous Dark Artifacts; 1001 Curses; Handbook of Forbidden Spells; although they all looked fascinating, none of the titles seemed suggestive of the problem at hand.

"Why are we here?" Sirius asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Aurora turned away from the books and turned her head to face him. Sirius was standing on the chair, trying to reach the view of the books on the highest shelves. 

“We are here trying to find something useful for the challenges to come." Said the girl without understanding where he was going.

James momentarily turned his head from where he was cursing, crouched on the floor, and smiled at her.

"We know it wasn't just that."

And went back to snooping.

"Yes, I was all _we need to sleep and blah blah blah"_ one moment and _let's break the rules_ the next." Sirius laughed, also continuing with his work.

Aurora snorted and crossed her arms. She used the chair for support and sat on one of the counters, her back to the books.

"I want to know why those two were looking for the Chamber." Admittedly her grudgingly. "And I thought that here would be the best place to find out. If not what they were talking about, at least to find the Chamber before them."

Aurora was not satisfied with having her emotions read so easily

"Who were those two?" James' voice came out a little muffled because his back was turned. "And what is this Chamber?"

"The boys are Barty Crouch and Rabastan Lestrange." Aurora explained and smiled slightly when she noticed the grimace that James made when he heard the names. Although she couldn't see the boy's face, she noticed his shoulders arch. Aurora had effectively stopped looking for anything useful and was now busy absently swinging her legs on the counter and staring at the her delicate slippers.

"Rabastan is nice." She continued. "Barty is ... weird."

Sirius had known Rabastan Lestrange since forever. He had never had more than casual conversations with him while they were growing up, and I could certainly agree that he was at least decent. And more sympathetic than his older brother, Rodolphus.

"The Chamber of Secrets was created by Salazar Slytherin to purge Muggle-borns from school." Aurora finished. "They say that a monster lives inside it and the last time it was open... Someone died..."

James's hands suddenly stopped and he brought the body up to face Aurora, with a somewhat haunted expression on his face.

"That's horrible."

Sirius remained silent. The way the story had been told to him, years ago by his parents, had been etched into his memory like a fairy tale. He went down and sat in the chair, now also with his field of vision covering the other two.

"What were they talking about when they said you were full of secrets?" Black asked.

Aurora stiffened her posture.

"They were talking nonsense. There is nothing suspicious or wrong about my family." She said. "We are reserved, that's all ..."

Sirius and James looked at each other, but before any of them could say anything to calm her down, Aurora jumped off the counter, eyes shining and headed for a gold-covered book across the room.

"What is it?" The question came from James.

"The Sinister Secrets of Hogwarts." Aurora shows the cover to the boys, and with a malicious smile from someone who had found a pot of gold, she immediately opened the book, placing it on the counter. With Sirius on one side and James on the other. The trio was soon disappointed when they came to the conclusion that everything the book said was already known to them, with the addition of some details.

"The girl died in the ladies' room and is still there today ..." James looked troubled. "This is really sinister."

"Yeah..." Aurora agreed, but secretly thought that maybe she was going to pay a visit to the ladies room to investigate, at some point. "But none of that was very useful ... Aparecium!" She touched the book with her wand, but nothing happened. The girl looked around, as if speaking to the Session. "Disappointing, honestly..."

"What was this?" James asked.

"It is a spell that reveals secret messages written with invisible ink or any other hidden mark." Aurora explained. "But it seems that there is nothing hidden here."

Aurora scanned the pages once more, frustrated, she was about to discard the book and turn her attention to the copy of 1001 Curses that seemed most useful when she saw the author's photo in one of the book's ears. This normally would not have made any difference, had it not been for the striking similarity they seemed to share. When she passed his eyes over the name, her heart almost stopped.

The Sinister Secrets of Hogwarts, by Anubis Selwyn

The author who shared her surname had Aurora's pink hair, they even matched in the baby pink shade. He was young at the time the book was published, a youthful smile filling his face. The eyes, however, did not have Aurora gold, but a strong, dark sapphire blue.

"Anubis Selwyn." He read Sirius and looked at the girl in surprise. "Didn't you know that there were writers in your family, is that your father?"

Aurora couldn't say.

Unfortunately or fortunately, that conversation did not continue, the adventurous trio heard the sound that every student at Hogwarts fears most of all.

The meow of Filch's cat.

"What is it?" Muttered James, his brow furrowed.

"She's the janitor's cat!" Warned Sirius. "He must be coming!"

Said and done, half a second later, Filch's dragged and sulky voice could be heard following in the footsteps of the treacherous cat.

_"Students out of bed ..."_

In a quick maneuver, the three gathered inside the cover and whispered their respective "nox" to their wands. Aurora was able to get the book that contained more information about her lineage than her grandmother had been able to provide in months and had grabbed him. They planned to leave immediately, but it was too late. Even with the invisibility cloak, they didn’t become intangible and Argo Filch was now taking every exit.

There was no way Aurora was going to be caught on her first night.

"I need you to trust me." whispered the girl in James and Sirius' ears. "And do exactly what I do." The boys had no idea what this was about, but they also had no other option.

Aurora had to act fast. The Restricted Section was small and they would soon be discovered.

"Hold the cloak!"

And with that last warning, Aurora pulled them by the hands and the three jumped out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! Hope you liked it. I'm sorry for ay speeling or grammar mistakes. English is not my mother language and it can be hard from time to time. If you notice something just leave a review and I will fix it!
> 
> About the chapter, I know that most fics have Sirius to hate his parents an dbe a pround Gryffindor from the start, but I don't think it happened like that. You don't spent 11 years of your life being taught something and then meets some friends and fuck everything you have been earing all your life! But don't worry, he will get there and be the crazy marauder we all know and love.
> 
> I wanna hear some opinions :)


	4. A Secret and Midnight Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes discover their first Hogwarts secret  
> But things may not be as shiny as they first appear to be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know I left for a long time. But I haven't given up. I will finish this fanfic and I hope you are all enjoying!  
> Any comment would mean the world to me, thank you <3

Hogwarts (gardens)

September 1 (night)

1971

"ARESTO MOMENTUM" Aurora tried not to scream, after all, the cloak was not soundproof and however much the distance between the trio and the caretaker increased by the second, Filch was still on top of them. She tried to sound confident and serious, but with the anxiety of falling from a tower of about 30 meters rushing through her body, it was kind of difficult and the girl's voice came out as a thin and desperate squeak.

They paused, and suddenly, they were falling very slowly, almost as if they were sliding gently in the wind. Aurora looked around and saw that James and Sirius, despite the slight fright, still had their hands on the cloak. Sirius to her left and James to her right, as planned, the cloak was being used as a kind of canvas over them, protecting their image as they fell. She looked up, although she could still hear remnants of Filch's voice, he didn't seem to have suspected the trio's escape, since he hadn't even bothered to look out the window for anything suspicious.

Finally the trio landed and as soon as their feet touched the ground Aurora felt a huge relief build in her chest. She wasn't a big fan of heights, and preferred the comfort of the ground. She quickly returned her gaze to her landing companions.

"I'm glad you didn't scream." Said the girl relieved. "Not much, I mean ..." She added looking at Sirius sideways. He crossed his arms.

"The first reaction anyone would have had at being thrown from a tower..." Black defended himself. Soon after the jump, some cries of despair had to be muffled by Aurora's hands so that Filch would not find out about his presence.

"The important thing is that we weren't caught and we got to the ground safely." Said Aurora with a small smile, feeling very satisfied with herself.

"It's not even the first day of school. How do you know so many spells?" James asked. The three still had the cloak over them and were leaning against the feet of the library tower, from which they had jumped a few seconds earlier.

Magical children did not arrive at Hogwarts without knowing any spells, after observing their parents for eleven years, even without a wand, the most observant managed to store a certain number of them in the back of their minds. As such, both James and Sirius were aware of various spells that had been performed in their presence over the years, by mothers, fathers, older relatives ...

Of course, while James' mental collection was mostly limited to domestic and other simple spells, Sirius had memories linked to some more complex ones...

Still, the two boys could not help but be impressed by Aurora's knowledge at such a young age and in her astute attitude of being able to select and execute the best spell according to the situation. The girl's instincts had saved the three of them more than once that night.

Aurora smiled, arrogant, but did not answer.

"We have to think about how to get back into the castle ..." Sirius pointed out, and the girl's smile immediately fell. During their the escape, she had totally forgotten that this would be a problem, that now they were outside the castle's tightly closed doors.

Aurora wanted to beat herself for her lack of strategy, how could she not have thought of that before throwing them out the window?

Sirius looked at Aurora as if he expected her to suggest an immediate solution, at the same time she remained in an irritated silence. James ran a hand through his hair. First, he removed the cloak from the top of the three which caused an immediate reaction from Aurora that gave him an ugly look.

"We're going to be unprotected."

James replied with skeptical eyes.

"Seriously, no one knows we're here and if anyone sees us, they won't be a teacher because their rooms are hidden in the back of the castle." Said the boy folding the cloak awkwardly. "So, relax." Finished him. Aurora seemed ready to argue, but she seemed to realize that it would be a waste of time and turned her attention to the question they needed to resolve, how to get back inside the castle. She looked around, but no idea came to mind.

"We could try to get in through the same window as we did." Sirius suggested, his two companions seemed to consider the idea, but both realized the impossibility of its execution.

"Filch-"

"Not Po-"

The two tried to explain at the same time, interrupting themselves. The same thing was repeated two more times, both James and Aurora hoping that the other would remain silent for just a minute so they could explain, both with huge urges to lead. Sirius lost his temper and soon grunted that he already understood that the plan was bad, whatever the reasons they seemed so eager to share.

Still, Aurora reasoned in her head: Filch may not have seen us getting away, but he sure as hell noticed that someone was checking the restricted session, and probably, certainly, was now watching.

In James' mind, the same problem was clearly exposed.

The sound of a growling belly pulled the newly named Gryffindor and his rival out of their distant thoughts and the two looked at Sirius, who ran a hand over his stomach.

"Thinking on an empty stomach sucks, none of you have a snack?" He asked. James shook his head.

"We just finished eating dinner ..." The rose argued, raising an eyebrow. Sirius, actually, had eaten almost nothing during dinner, too nervous about the decision he had made, the consequences it would bring ... But he said nothing.

"Do you have or not?"

Aurora checked her pockets carefully and offered him a small bar of chocolate. Sirius looked very happy and his eyes sparkled, he asked why she had something like that in her pocket but did not wait for an answer to take the snack from the girl's hands. Sirius unpacked the chocolate with little elegance, the blue and green packaging was named after a brand that he did not recognize but that was irrelevant and he soon put it in his own pocket forgetting about it almost immediately afterwards. Aurora stared at him for a while, and replied:

"I like to be prepared ..." She said. "And ... I love chocolate ..." She added softly. Aurora put her hands in her nightgown pocket again and this time offered James a bar as she did with Sirius, while taking one for herself. James accepted the offer and suddenly the mood became much lighter between them, as only chocolate could do between three children. The trio sat by the grass while they ate with a few minutes of tranquility.

"That is good planning." James praised, the boy's chocolate-colored face now also decorated with the substance and Aurora and Sirius laughed.

In the middle of the fun, James was distracted, and the cloak that had been forgotten beside him was blown away. In a fraction of a second the moment of amusement became a moment of panic, as the three pairs of eyes widened as James' family heirloom flew through the night.

Immediately the three stood and started to chase the object that danced in the wind, rising and falling according to the will of nature.

"James, how did you let the cloak escape?!"

"It was under my leg!"

"HOW is it possible that it escaped from under your leg?!"

"SHUT UP!"

Aurora raised her wand and shouted:

"ACCIO CLOAK"

Unfortunately, whether it was because the cloak was moving wildly, or because the distance was too absurd for the spell to take effect, or because Aurora might not be concentrating enough for fear of wasting time and the cloak disappearing altogether, the enchantment didn't work. .

Frustrated, the girl lowered her wand and continued running and gave a look to the arguing boys:

"It doesn't matter now!"

Luckily for them, the cloak wrapped itself in a tall tree after about a minute of unbridled chase. Aurora, James and Sirius stopped in front of the tree, catching their breath. Aurora, without wasting time, put her wand in her mouth and started to climb the enormous plant, imagining that she had more experience doing so than only child James Potter and Black Heir Sirius Black, and therefore, would be more efficient than them. The tree was gigantic, with a strong and thick trunk, its branches were wide and extended for at least two meters beyond its trunk, which besides being thick and strong, was very crooked and right in the middle had a strange hole, as if had been hit by a cannon ball and still survived the experience.

Aurora left her slippers aside for better accuracy with her feet and started the process, it would clearly be fruitless for James to follow her, so despite being anxious to be out of the rescue action of his own family inheritance, he continued with both feet off the ground. 

"Let's keep an eye on her, if she falls, we'll catch her," Sirius said, watching nervously as the pink-haired girl nimbly continued her way through the tree branches. James nodded, and the two split, he stayed further to the left, while Sirius headed to the right. The boys were not sure if this was the best strategy, or if they should stay together as only one of them would not be able to make an efficient rescue, but they remained with the first option nonetheless. 

Aurora felt her braid fluttering in the wind. The cloak was still a few branches away and the more the height increased, the more nervous she became. Aurora was not a big fan of heights, but during her childhood, trees and the ability to climb them, which was acquired with a lot of pain and falls, had been an important part of her survival. The wind was not very strong, but increased the difficulty of her journey. Aurora's mouth was already going numb and, frankly, drooling from having to keep holding her wand.

She finally got close enough to reach the damn runaway cloak, however, when she stretched her arm to pick it up, it flew to the tip of the branch.It was relatively thin branch that was certainly not safe so Aurora tried to wrap herself around the branch and with her legs pushed herself forward. The abrasiveness of the wood irritated her skin, but the fabric of the nightgown helped to limit pain and contact. When she finally got close enough, Aurora held on to the branch with just one hand and shouted accio once again. This time, the command was carried out and the cloak came quickly towards her.

"I think she got it." Sirius shouted at James. Aurora, in an unexpected move, simply dropped the branch. Grabbing the cloak, she intended to use the same spell she had used on Sirius and James earlier and to slide gently to the ground. However, her plan was totally frustrated when instead of falling straight, a mysterious force against gravity seemed to throw her aside, and she went through the hole in the middle of the tree. Which would not have been a problem for the plan, if Aurora had not disappeared completely when passing through such a hole.

James and Sirius looked at each other in shock.

"D-did she disappear?!"

James shook his head, with no answer to the question. And without much debate, the two started to climb towards the same hole. And as the apparently innocent surface approached, they looked at each other again. They didn't quite understand what was going on, but decided to try their luck.

"There we go ..." James said and threw himself. The hole was wide enough for them to pass through easily. Sirius threw himself reluctantly right after.

.

.

.

Aurora closed her eyes during the fall. Her back took most of the thud with the ground and she moaned in pain. When the anguish subsided enough for the girl to open her eyes, Aurora realized she was in a totally different place than she had just been seconds ago. Fortunately, the cloak was still in her arms, along with her wand, clutched in her left hand.

With difficulty, she sat up and crossed her legs and, taking a deep breath, hugged the cloak. Aurora was in a lovely flowering forest. A forest that could be mistaken for any other, except that it was all too beautiful to be real. The tall trees had pink leaves and were decorated with numerous pearl white flowers, the flowers had different origins, some roses, some tulips, some orchids ... Apart from the trees, all the rest of the vegetation had its usual green color. Some bushes filled the space with blue, yellow and orange flowers. The sky in azure blue had several white clouds and the river that she realized was running right in front of her, had black waters. Aurora stretched her gaze into the river and realized that small pearl formations floated over the waters that had a much more creamy texture than water should have. The sun was high, and shone as usual, however, it seemed to be in a constant state of setting, with the orange light remaining steady and not diminishing to make way for the starry night as it usually did. Obviously, Aurora was not there long enough to reach that conclusion, but the feeling that this was true filled her. Crossing the river, a small bridge crossed over to the other side, and in the distance, she was able to spot a beautiful marble gazebo. Before she had time to think about anything, two projectiles fell on top of her.

Or they would fall if she hadn't turned around at the last moment. Unfortunately, just like her own, the boys' fall had been too quick for her to even think about casting a spell, and they too fell to the ground.

Sirius was the first to manifest himself through the pain.

"What place is this?"

Aurora was having trouble answering that question, maybe it was the fact that she had hit her head hard and maybe she had a concussion, but the most likely answer was that the appearance of the forest had changed immediately the moment the boys seemed to appear into a that new one. Everything changed. The trees were no longer pink in color and were now dark green, taller and slender, almost like pines. The red color seemed to take over the place, with flowers of the color taking over the landscape. The gazebo suddenly did not seem so delicate, a swing appeared linked to the branch of one of the trees, and the distance between the river and where the trio was seemed to increase greatly in relation to Aurora's first sight, not only in distance, but in height . The now clear blue waters of the river ran about a meter and a half below them, and the river seemed to have more, bigger and deeper, being perfect for a good jump.

"I don't know ... I don't know where we are ... But we're at Hogwarts ... secret passages, hidden places ... It's a common thing around here ..." Aurora explained and turned her gaze towards him. "Are you okay?"

For people who had run at high speed, climbed a huge tree and plunged into a mysterious and seemingly multi-dimensional hole in the past thirty minutes, they looked fine. A little bit dirty, certainly not in its best appearance, but still, well.

"My ribs are hurt ... But besides that, I think so ... Sirius?"

Sirius was still lying on the floor, arms outstretched, unlike James who was already standing.

"No ... No, this fall killed me ..." He grunted, unhappy, his eyes narrowed probably with a pain in his back that wouldn't be gone anytime soon. "Hell of magic portal, I don't even know what's going on anymore..."

James managed to smile. If Sirius was well enough to curse and grunt, he was fine to survive this experience. He looked at Aurora, sitting on the ground on her knees. She was disheveled, her braid almost undone, and with a confused expression, he thought she looked very funny and held out his hand so she could get up. With a little suspicion, the girl accepted the Gryffindor's hand, and once standing, with a deep sigh, she seemed to resume her spirit and looked at her friends with a restrained, however determined, smile as she smoothed her pink locks, quickly shaping her long braid once again.

"Boys .... We found our first Hogwarts secret"

Sirius finally seemed to find the strength to get out of his grumbling state and looked in the Aurora's direction.

"Our first secret ... I liked that."

James smiled big.

"Let's explore!"

Aurora looked concerned.

"We still have to go back, isn't it better to leave exploration for another day?"

"Don't do tomorrow what you can do today ..." James said as if he were an old and wise hermit. Aurora rolled her eyes.

"That's a phrase directed at responsibilities…"

"And not incredible adventures that seem to be asking for our presence?" James smiled winking and Sirius had to laugh.

Aurora tried to contain the smile that formed in the corner of her mouth, but it was too late, both James and Sirius could see that the girl was one step away from being convinced. And Sirius decided to join the game.

"Yeah ... And think about it, when we are gonna be able to do this again?" He said casually. "We don't even know how we found that tree in the first place ..."

Aurora placed two loose strands of hair behind her ears.

"Okay, but let's watch out for time. We have to be back in our beds before the night is over!"

And with that last warning, Sirius got up and the three started walking through the woods, with no exact direction.

"Do you think anyone can get in here?" Aurora threw the question in the air. James ran a hand through his hair.

"I think so, why would the three of us do it if no one else could?"

"Perhaps we are special ..." Aurora replied, smiling convincingly.

"Even if anyone can get in here, I doubt anyone is aware of that place. It is a very random passage ... " Sirius added.

The three crossed the small bridge and walked towards the gazebo.

"Do you think we'll be able to get back here?" James asked.

"Considering that we won't be stuck here forever ..." Sirius replied, looking around suspiciously. "I don't see why not, just find the tree."

"We should give this place a name." Aurora suggested.

"How about James' Secret Paradise?"

"Not even kidding ..." The pink-haired girl laughed.

"How about Sirius' Very Superior Paradise?"

"How about Paradise-in-which-James-Potter-and-Sirius-Black-never-will-put-their-feet-again-if-they-continue-to-suggest-stupid-names?" The Slytherin smiled at them with fake sweetness.

"Kinda big." James laughed.

"Yeah, you're not good at names, I'm sorry for your future children."

"Look who's talking, coming from a boy named Sirius ..."

"Hey, hey, I'm a star, much better than being named for a phenomenon in nature ...

"I think a hurricane would be a better phenomenon to describe you, look at how much craziness you put us up to today!"

"Hey, I thought you guys liked a good adventure! Besides, we are all unharmed… And shut up, James, your name has the worst meaning of all."

"I have to agree."

"This is a slander and I very much doubt that Sirius knows what" James "means."

"Maybe not, but the nature phenomenon girl is making fun of you so it has to be really bad ..."

From then on, the conversation started and never stopped, the laughter on banal matters filled the mouths of the three. Sirus explained his family's tradition of naming members over stars, Aurora argued that she did not know why she was named "Aurora" but was sure it was not because of the northern lights, thus invalidating the point that her name it was a phenomenon of nature. James was correct to say that Sirius had no idea what his name meant, but Aurora did know and there were really no arguments about who had the worst name.

The conversation continued for hours, and they didn't see the time go by.

It was part of the magic of the place, apparently, the weather never changed. They could spend days there, and yet that evening that painted the sky multicolored, would remain paralyzed without ever going through the night. But the spell and the laughter ended, and with a worried look, Aurora suddenly stood up, as if awakening from a sleep.

"How long have we been here?"

James and Sirius blinked hard, also suddenly with not so calm expressions.

“For… for a while…"

"We need to get out of here and go back to the castle." Said the girl. "Like now!"

The Gryffindors agreed, but none of them knew how to get out of the woods, and they hadn't really explored much, spending all their time talking.

"We came in through a tree, maybe a tree is the way out." Suggested Sirius, and that seemed quite plausible, so the three started looking for holes in all the trees. However, as much as Sirius' speech seemed to make a lot of sense, it was apparently not the solution because none of the trees had any holes. The trio then met in the gazebo, not knowing what to do. Until, trying to think, Aurora saw a curious thing on the roof of the gazebo.

"Is that ... Is that a door?"

The boys immediately followed his gaze and James smiled.

"Yes! This is definitely the way out!"

"But if you have a door like this ... Handmade ... It means that we are not the first to come here ..." Sirius reasoned. "Maybe ... Maybe we're not even alone right now..."

With that sinister statement that Aurora hated to admit made a lot of sense, they wasted no time. The enchanted little place definitely lost its charm and seemed to diminish, to become more murky and gloomy despite the eternal evening. With a simple spell she had learned during the holidays, Aurora levitated the boys, first Sirius, who opened and went through the door, disappearing from view. She did the same with James, who once tall enough to reach the door asked Aurora to jump high and grabbed her by the waist. The two walked through the door just as Sirius had done, and Aurora forced herself to close her eyes, her arms around James' neck and feeling the comforting firmness of James' hands around her. Aurora was not afraid of the dark, but she was afraid of the unknown, and she decided at that moment, more strongly than ever, that she would unravel all the mysteries of Hogwarts, and she would never be afraid again.


	5. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes finally are able to get past their first night at Hogwarts  
> But the adventures are just getting started

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! 2 chapter in a row! How good is that!
> 
> I'm sorry for my english, it's not my first language, but I'm trying to improve. If anything is hard to understand, please tell me.

Hogwarts

September 2nd

1971

Aurora opened her eyes and was back on the thick grounds at Hogwarts. She stood up, and soon noticed the presence of James and Sirius with her, each on one side. The three were no longer in the mysterious secret paradise, but neither were they near the strange tree with a hole in the middle. In fact, the trio finds themselves in the gardens, close to where their nightly adventure had started by jumping out the window. They had a privileged view of the lake, which was only a few meters away from where they were. 

"What ... what happened?"

"You went out for a while after we left James's Paradise." Informed Potter looking at her. "Then we carried you here."

She blinked, still a little lethargic.

"We don't know exactly why you passed out after we managed to escape Sirius' Dark World." Sirius kindly informed, stressing the title. "And we were starting to worry that you had died, so ..." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you didn't die because we're so fucked up and I want to see what your face will look like once you realize that."

Aurora stared at him for long five seconds. And, totally lost, she whispered:

"...What?"

James and Sirius exchanged looks of warm unease.

"Maybe if we say she got severe brain damage, they'll take it easy on us." Sirius formulated, observing the girl analytically from top to bottom.

"And it won't even be a lie since her vocabulary has been reduced to two words!" Mocked James.

Aurora pursed her lips and pulled the two boys by the ears, generating complaints of pain from both.

"I have no brain damage." She said and freed the boys from their punishment. "Now explain to me, with all the patience that a girl who just woke up from a coma deserves-"

"Calling a coma is overkill ..." James interrupted.

"Definitely very dramatic." Black agreed.

"Exactly what is going on." Aurora was not interrupted by the two and continued her speech as if nothing had happened.

Aurora was returning to reality, the senses that had abandoned her returning to their usual efficiency. She put her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath, letting it out calmly, trying to clear her mind and calm down. Then, the sharp golden eyes turned their attention to the two Gryffindors.

"We have good and bad news." Said Sirius without wasting time.

"The good news is that we don't travel back in time and Hogwarts remains the same." James smiled encouragingly. Aurora feared that something very disturbing would come after that failed attempt at humor. "The bad news is that is already morning."

_Oh no…_

"The teachers have probably already woken up and are around the castle ..."

_Holy shit_

"and no way will we be able to get to our dorms without getting caught ..."

_Fuck_

James noticed the almost immediate loss of color that Aurora suffered when she heard those words. She was beginning to regret all the decisions she had made throughout the day. Or rather last week. The memory of a little boy with olive skin and green eyes with a sly smile came to mind.

_"If you want to prove to her that you can do it, you can't stay here crying like a fucking idiot and waiting for an opportunity to fall into your arms just because you want it!"Go make it happen. ”_

_"And how would I do it?"_

_He smiled even more._

_"That's your problem."_

She should never have trusted him! What a stupid, completely stupid idea to think she could do this, to deceive the woman who had changed her life. But this was no time to panic!

It was what Aurora's head and her survival instinct repeated at that moment, but her body didn't seem to be responding to that direct command. James realized that the girl had started to blink almost continuously and tried to comfort her.

"Look, I know that starting with a detention doesn't look very good ..." He started running a hand through his hair. "But it could be worse, besides, the pros are bigger than the cons, we discovered several things today that will surely be useful to have Hogwarts in the palm of your hands!" He smiled.

"Not to mention, I'm sure we'll be the first ones ever to get detention on the first night at Hogwarts." Added Sirius laughing a little. He did not know whether he genuinely found the situation amusing, whether he was in awe of his own deeds, or whether he was just nervous. "You can say what you want, but this is kind of legendary."

Aurora shook her head and ran her hands over her face.

"You don't understand… It's not that simple, all detentions are sent to our parents or guardians. My grandmother will hear about it tomorrow morning…" The girl murmured, looking down. She looked truly heartbroken. "I'm dead, dead."

James raised his eyebrows.

"Because of a detention?"

Sirius was completely aware of how a detention could weight a lot more than it was worth when they had families like that. He was also aware that his time would come.

"My grandmother is going to get me out of Hogwarts by the end of the week." Aurora assured him with.

 _Get her out of school?_ Now even Sirius was beginning to find the situation strange.

"I have a feeling you're not telling us the whole story." He commented crossing his arms. As much as his parents, and all parents coming from the purebred traditionalist elite, were strict and certainly would not be happy with a situation like that, getting her out of school was not only an exaggeration, but also counterproductive. As much as it was a stain on Aurora's reputation, staying at Hogwarts guaranteed her the opportunity, millions of opportunities to stand out in countless other things, making that incident an insignificant blur . Not to mention the most obvious problem, who would teach Aurora magic if she was forced to stay home? Her grandmother was witch but knowing magic didn't mean you could teach it well. 

Aurora faced the boys once again. Flavescent irises shining sober. They wouldn't understand.

"I cannot go into details. But I assure you that this is exactly what will happen if we get caught, I only have one chance at Hogwarts and if Minerva or one of the other professors sends a letter saying what happened my chance goes to waste and I guarantee it that Lyta Selwyn is going to show up here personally to take me by my hair. ” She sighed. Aurora looked devastated, ready to cry. 

James and Sirius looked at each other. Sirius was getting tired of inconclusive responses. He took a step forward.

"Aurora, what's going on? Be clear. It doesn't make sense for your grandmother to take you out of school for that. Punishment yes, obviously, but that doesn't make any sense." Black pressed. James ran a hand through his hair, and gently brought Sirius closer to him again, trying to undo the symbolic pressure the boy had placed on her.

"I think what he means ..." Potter began. "It's just that we won't be able to help you if we don't know exactly what the problem is."

Aurora bit her lip and considered whether to reveal the truth, the concrete and simple reason why her grandmother would not forgive her for such a minimal thing. It seemed easy. But it was not. Trust, reveal the truth. It wasn't that simple, not for her. And so, perhaps further complicating a situation that already was no longer very favorable, she refused to reveal everything. She crossed her arms and tried to appear as pragmatic as possible.

"Nothing that I say will make sense to you, if my grandmother finds out, I'm leaving, it's that simple."

Sirius looked ready to argue, but Aurora continued to speak.

"But no way am I going to let that happen." The yellow eyes looked at the boys seriously. "I didn't get this far to only get this far." And with that, the girl stood up and began to debate with herself out loud. "We can't use the cloak, because we are in different dormitories ... you could never come to the Slytherin's dorm with me..."

"What if you went to the Gryffindor dormitory with us?" James suggested.

"It wouldn't work anyway… You would have to reveal yourself to speak the password and I honestly am not confident that the Fat Lady is not going to make a fuss, and then, the professors will notice me if I don't show up at the first day. And there is no way I can show up without a uniform, I can't wear your uniform because it wouldn't have the colors of Slytherin, oh, shit, I should have learned a spell for that, that's so stupid..."

Stopping Aurora's frenzy, James spoke up:

"Do you think you would be able to enter the Slytherin's dormitory without any problems if there was a distraction?"

Aurora seemed to regain her cool at the thought.

"I think so.. I would just have to say the password and luckily, without anyone to monitor me, I don't think anyone would notice my entry."

James smiled. By the time, Aurora could tell that James had two types of smiles. The first type was genuine and sweet, and the second type... The second type was the one he was displaying right now, and she knew immediately that trouble would follow. 

"I have an idea. But you will not like it at all."

Upon revealing his plan, James won wide eyes from both Sirius and Aurora. The girl looked somewhat puzzled, as if James were using concepts that she didn't understand. Sirius, as much as he was clearly surprised, seemed somewhat pleased by the madness of his housemate.

"I am brilliant to the point of total shock, I know. It may take a while for you to recover from my genius." Potter teased. Sirius gave him a laugh and the two laughed together, turning their attention back to Aurora almost immediately. The girl still kept her confused expression. 

"The plan is good ... But ... Why would you do that? Why any of you would do that, you hardly know me." She asked, confused. The plan was good, but also risky and considering that it didn't benefit James in any way, Aurora could not understand his motivation.

Despite all the intelligence and insight that had allowed her to get here, Aurora couldn't understand why James would make such a sacrifice.

James, on the other hand, did not understand the big surprise.

"Well, that clearly means a lot to you, but it won't make that much of a difference to me." He explained with a shrug. "My parents won't be upset, I think they are even waiting for this ..." He laughed.

Aurora continued to watch.

"Aurora, just accept my help. We are friends, aren't we?"

The girl sighed. She never liked to receive favors because she knew the cost would always come later, no kindness came for free. But without having another option in mind, she accepted the proposal.

But that phrase ricocheted in her ears a lot longer than she would ever admit: _"We are friends, aren't we?"_

Were they friends? Was this how it happened? One coincidence after another that made them know each other. Just it. She had practically fallen into their lap in an accident on the train. They talked and got along, another total coincidence of fate, a wrong word, a misunderstood tone, and he could have hated her. And yet, now Aurora felt as if that encounter had changed her life forever.

He was willing to harm himself for her.

For them.

James' plan consisted of two very simple steps: He would draw the attention of professors and prospective students to himself, in the meantime, Aurora would escape with the cloak to the Slytherin dorm. Sirius would use that time to try to get into the Gryffindor tower without being noticed, after all, he had already done enough for one night. Or at least that was the boy Potter's suggestion. 

_"We are friends, aren't we?"_

Sirius was quiet for a few moments, without speaking. As if he could read his mind, James smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Sirius, your parents are going to kill you if you get into this."

Sirius looked at him very seriously, and a strange gleam passed over his gray eyes.

"My parents are going to kill me anyway. It is not right to let you do this alone."

James seemed a little surprised by those words, but Sirius said them sincerely. He was screwed, his fate was sealed when the hat screamed "Gryffindor". There was no escaping the storm that was coming his way. And since this was inevitable, there was no plausible excuse for leaving James to bear the consequences of a night that the three decided to create together, alone.

Black did not blame Aurora, however, for her inability to take her share of the blame. It only took a look in her direction to notice that the girl was distressed, and seemed to feel guilty. Just one look at his yellow eyes to see how pale they looked, and they had lost the glowing glow that inhabited them. As much as her cryptic words didn't make sense, as much as he knew she wasn't telling the whole story, he, in a way, understood, and forgave her.

It was getting late, so the trio decided to put the plan into action.

.

.

.

"Mr. Potter, I think you are aware that it's against school rules to spend the night out of bed." Minerva McGonagall's voice was rigid and left no room for objections or jokes, not that it would stop James Potter from doing both.

The boy smiled mischievously.

"That's it, Prof. McGonagall." He started. "You see? We are not really out of bed."

And technically, that statement was true. It was the first day of classes at Hogwarts in 1971 and James Potter and Sirius Black were standing in front of her, dressed in filthy pajamas and with their beds floating under them, inaugurating their first detentions and also the first detentions of the year.

They were not out of bed. Indeed. Minerva had found them flying up the stairs, apparently having a great time, while the teachers and students had breakfast. She had no idea where they had been all night, but it was clear that it was not in their dormitories, where they should have been. First, Minerva was sure that if she asked the other residents of the Gryffindor dormitory, or even more specifically, the other two boys who shared the room with them, the innocent would be forced to say that Potter and Black didn't even go to bed, there was no way they got soiled inside the dormitory, much less without making enough noise to wake the rest of the tower. And those stains on their pajamas? Dirt and sweat. No, the two troublemakers had spent the night outside, and for some reason, even though they were able to try to discreetly go back to their dorm, they decided to bewitch the beds when the other boys had already left, and play in the stairs.

They were covering for someone, and it was as clear as a sunny day for Minerva.

"Mr. Potter, you know what the rules are about." She said with more patience than she felt at the moment. "Spending the night out of bed, that is, outside your dorms wandering around the castle without supervision, is prohibited."

Potter and Black then exchange glances, feigning an expression of shock and innocence very badly.

"OH!" Exclaimed James Potter, soon replacing his false shock with an even more false newfound dazzle. " So that's what this rule means!" And then he laughed, he had the audacity to laugh in her face. "Sorry, Professor! We were totally confused."

"Ah, the wonderful school environment! Sirius commented putting his hand under his chest dramatically. "How lovely it is to learn, don't you think, James?"

"For sure, my dear Sirius, for sure!"

"Don't worry, professor, we will never forget this lesson."

"It will be a very important memory forever."

"I am sure it will, gentlemen. After all, both of you will be in detention with me this weekend." Minerva added with a vengeful smile that was not subtle. "So that I can be sure that the lesson will not really be forgotten."

James Potter again used his terrible acting skills to fake shock.

"Professor McGonagall ... Do you intend to punish us for not knowing?"

"It doesn't seem very scholarly on your part." Sirius added with a betrayed expression.

"No, it doesn't."

"Really?" Asked Minerva, a devilish smile forming on her lips. "So, gentlemen. I think there are only two options. Either you accept the detention with ease, or I can find out the real reason you made this little show." She decided to be more specific. "Who are protecting."

The boys looked at each other again, finding themselves cornered. And then James Potter smiled happily.

"Detention sounds lovely"

.

.

.

The day cleared with difficulty on the Monday that activities began at Hogwarts. In her room, Aurora thought that despite having spent the night awake, she had not witnessed the first rays of sunlight that, gloriously, graced the surface of the castle. Unfortunately, succumbed to a parallel world, she was unable to see them, and when - thanks to the sacrifice of James and Sirius - she finally reached her rooms in the morning, it were still bathing in almost complete darkness. During the autumn months, the morning sun was still insufficient to illuminate the underground chambers that made up the Slytherin house, through the darkened waters of the lake, and although a weak green light penetrated the room, the candles did most of the lightning work. 

After Sirius' small family reunion the night before, their little adventure in the Restricted Session and their even greater adventure in an unknown place, when Aurora returned to her room, there was no time to rest. But before she could open her door, with James' invisibility cloak hidden under her pajamas, there was a girl was waiting for her by her door. 

Aurora was surprised, how long had Narcissa been waiting for? The blonde girl was already wearing her uniform so Aurora couldn't tell if she had slept through the night and simply waited for her in the morning to intercept her before Aurora went to breakfast. It seemed most likely. Narcissa looked her up and down and Aurora felt her blood run cold, there was no excuse elaborate enough to convince the other girl of anything other than the truth. One look would be enough for Narcissa to see that Aurora had spent the night out. She decided to hide the cloak the minute she arrived at the Slytherin's dorm because if someone found out about it, James would lose one of his most valuable tools - the ignorance of others about what he really could do. But now she wondered if that had really been a good idea.

She couldn't say that she had spent hours wandering around and exploring the Slytherin common room, which was new to her - even though this was something she would do - as her wrinkled, filthy and probably forever destroyed nightgown was proof enough that she wasn't. Aurora was really ruined! Her calculations had been wrong and someone had unfortunately noticed her entry.

And she was a Slytherin, like herself. Aurora was aware that if Narcissa could use this information for her own benefit in some way, or just to demote someone else, if that was her wish for some reason, the youngest Black sister would do it.

If the situation was switched,Aurora would probably do it too.

To her infinite luck, Black decided to ignore the easy walking gossip that Aurora Selwyn was at that moment, and focused on her eyes. Narcissa's pale blue eyes did not seem to contain in any degree the fury that burned in her sister's red irises. They were freezing, dull, almost dead. Aurora was more afraid of Narcissa's eyes.

She asked for a favor. 

“I would be grateful if you didn't mention this to anyone. About our unofficial little meeting last night ”

The request was obsolete, however. Of course, Aurora wouldn't tell anyone. Firstly, she had no one to tell, and secondly, she had nothing to gain from revealing something like that.

But from the look Narcissa gave her, the pink-haired girl knew that there was an implied threat in her tone.

"I won't." Aurora replied almost immediately. Narcissa didn't seem particularly convinced, but she didn't seem willing to argue and just said goodbye.

But all of that - and by "all of that" Aurora meant the apparent insignificant details in the older girl's posture that if she hadn't been so suspicious, most likely Aurora wouldn't have even noticed - left her head full of thoughts. Why hadn't Narcissa been persuaded by her words? She had no reason to be suspicious of Aurora, a girl she had met just hours ago. Or maybe she had. Perhaps the name Selwyn invoked distrust, perhaps that was Aurora's legacy, perhaps she came from a family of cheaters.

Or maybe Narcissa had been taught to distrust everyone, a more reasonable voice hissed in her head, just as her own grandmother had taught her last summer. During the hard training to become a good heiress, Lyta had made Aurora learn the long and fascinating stories of the purebred clans, like the Malfoys, for example, with their ego, extravagance and their pockets full of gold. A Malfoy always pays his debts, but often on his own terms. You should never trust them blindly, even when they owe you a favor. If necessary, they are able to pay what they owe and still let you drown, Lyta had said, _those platinum little heads, those blue eyes like the clear sky on a summer morning, can bring to mind the image of angels, but I guarantee to you, they are not. And they are not interested in being._

The same was said for everyone else, however. Don't trust, keep your eyes open!

Aurora was dedicated to learning the characteristics of each family with determination, she wanted to be prepared.

And again, her own story had been left out.

Trying to get conspiracy theories out of her head, Aurora dressed up properly for the first day of classes. With a quick shower, just enough to erase the evidence that she had spent the night on dirt. Aurora gathered strands on both sides of her head and tied it to the bottom with a small silver bow, dressed in her uniform, properly impeccable, with the green Slytherin tie standing out among the dark robes. She looked at herself in the mirror, uniform, hair, shiny shoes ... The image of a good student. She was ready, there was no reason to be nervous.

The image of the good student trembled in the mirror, being replaced by the image of the bastard who she had once been, who smiled cruelly at the clean, rich and spoiled princess outside the mirror. The pink locks almost colorless and so short that if it weren't for the dress, she could easily pass for a boy. Filthy, obscure, unfriendly, hungry, ruthless….

_I will bring you back here, princess. Back to filth where you never should have left._

.

.

.

Breakfast at Hogwarts was luxurious, and considering that the school had a reputation to uphold - and countless sons and daughters of nobles who would not hesitate to send an owl to their parents complaining about the lack of food diversity at school - Aurora was not surprised . Once again, she decided to find a place next to Rabastan Lestrange and kept a safe distance from the Black sisters. Certainly Andromeda and Bellatrix already knew the whole situation that had happened the night before and Aurora did not know if they considered her an enemy - because she was fraternizing with Sirius who now seemed to have been declared an enemy of the state in his own family - or not. 

As soon as she sat down, however, her eyes flew quickly to the Gryffindor table.

The Slytherin table was in the right corner of the great hall. The Gryffindor table was the third in a count from right to left, being separated from the green and silver crowd only by the presence of the HufflePuffs. Which was a very unfortunate fact for them. Often between disputes and malpractices between rival houses that took place at mealtimes, the poor Hufflepuffs found themselves, literally, in the middle of everything.

James and Sirius looked fine, despite the apparent fatigue in their eyes, which Aurora knew it was also displayed in on her own face. They ate ravenously.

Perhaps it was the time that Aurora spent staring at them from her table, or perhaps the weight of her gaze was so colossal that the Gryffindors felt it nudge their shoulders, one way or another, both eventually noticed her arrival and made eye contact with her.

James smiled and waved excitedly while Sirius shook his head. Aurora continued to stare at them, impassive and determined. James seemed to get more confused by the second, but Sirius luckily managed to figure out what the lack of blinking eyes from their Slytherin companion meant.

 _"She wants news._ " Aurora read Black's lips as he spoke to James. Potter's mouth formed a perfect "o" and he finally seemed to understand, James turned his gaze in her direction and started trying to explain, with lip movements that he clearly thought fit, how their plan had happened. Although she was good, Aurora's ability to read lips had limits that did not include her Gryffindor friends lack of ability to do it right, and she imagined that her disorientation became so great that it began to manifest itself in physical form in her facial expression. Sirius also noticed and touched James on the shoulder, probably to explain to him that his efforts were being in vain and that, in fact, Aurora did not understand anything he was saying. But Aurora could not be sure of her deduction, for the moment Sirius opened his mouth, an inconvenient boy who sat across from them moved, covering with his back her vision of them. Aurora stretched her neck to both sides, trying to regain her vision, to her horror, she saw that James was about to get up and shout what he was unable to communicate with murmurs. Aurora waved her arms furiously, trying to stop him from making a fuss.

James sat down again, laughing, it was clear that he had threatened to make a scandal in the first place just to provoke her. Aurora frowned and he gestured with his hand, indicating that he would tell about the events later. And then the two went back to eating. Aurora sighed and decided to do the same, adding some rolls to her plate. She was thinking about how she needed a way to communicate between tables without drawing attention and her eyes were looking for juice when they met Rabastan Lestrange's sapphires.

Unlike Narcissa's irises, Rabastan's eyes had a strong, dark shade of navy blue which was, in a way, a contrast to the blonde streaks that formed his head.

"Good Morning." He smiled. And Aurora suddenly remembered that, with so many worries troubling her, she had completely forgotten to greet him, despite having sat beside him. In fact, he hadn't said a word to any of the occupants of the green and silver table.

"Good morning ..." She replied, embarrassment dripping along the words. 

"How was your first night at the castle?" He asked politely.

"Exciting." Aurora replied laughing a little.

"I bet it's not as exciting as mine." Rabastan replied blinking. Aurora smiled, thinking that he must be referring to the unofficial hunt he and the boy named Crouch had carried out around the castle, in search of a long-lost secret.

“Have you been up to something, by any chance?” Suggested her, the smile widening. "I bet that your friend is not a good influence."

Rabastan sighed, Barty really wasn't.

"The challenge, you know ... I mean, I know it's bullshit, and that the older boys are just making fun of us, but he was sure we were going to make it."

Aurora didn't know of any challenge but putting everything together that had happened in the past few hours, she had a theory: the veterans had issued a challenge the night before to Rabastan and Barty - the only ones who had been drawn to the Slytherin - to find the Chamber of Secrets. Obviously they had failed, as the Chamber had been lost for many years, but Aurora wondered why the older Slytherins had posed such a challenge.

"I understand." She replied. "But at least you tried, right?"

Rabastan shrugged.

"And you, didn't you find the Chamber around there?"

"Unfortunately not, but maybe I will lucky in the future."

The boy frowned.

"But was the challenge only worth the first night?"

Aurora smiled sheepishly, and tried to disguise it with an _"ah, that's right"_ but Rabastan didn't seem very convinced. After that, they went back to eating and engaged in a banal conversation about which subject they were most interested in and things like that. Rabastan was kind and friendly, and Aurora felt she had found at least one ally in her own house.

.

.

.

Breakfast was soon finished and at the first time of the day Slytherin and Gryffindor would share the potions class. So Aurora headed for the classroom where the lesson would take shape. The potions professor, Horace Slughorn, was also the director of the Slytherin House, which meant that classes would be held in the dungeons. She was the first to arrive and soon found a place to sit in one of the desks. James and Sirius certainly did not have the same affection for punctuality as Aurora, but they did not take long to appear as well and shared a table. Aurora went to them, immediately wanting to know about the repercussions of the plan.

"Ah, it ended well." James assured her. He had his arms crossed on the table and his head resting on his arms, a clear sign of his tiredness.

"Yes, we ended up with a date this weekend." Informed Sirius.

"A date?" Aurora asked, confused. Sirius' smile widened and James replied instead.

"Yes, with Professor McGonagall, in detention."

"She did not appreciate our free interpretation of the rules ..."

Aurora was sad to find out what had happened.

"I am sorry that you are in detention." She said sincerely. "I'll make it up to you."

"That's the thing, you don't have to. "James said.

"There's nothing to do anyway." Sirius shrugged. James returned his gaze to Aurora.

"And you, are you alright? You didn't get caught, did you?"

Aurora came to the conclusion that it wouldn't do any of them any good if she revealed Narcissa's request so she just shook her head and smiled.

"No one saw me. And thank you."

The class did not take long to begin and Aurora was forced to interrupt her conversation with the boys, returning to her initial place. Almost at the last minute, coming immediately after the teacher, a late Gryffindor came running. He sat next to Aurora, seeing that it was the first available spot he saw, and let out a great sigh of relief.

The boy was short, with light brown curly hair. He had a pink and green band-aid covering his nose and for some reason he wore the Gryffindor tie as a bow tie, making him stand out from the rest of the class. His robes also made him stand out, being worn and more gray than black, he seems to disappear into them, she realized, due to being small and skinny. Aurora found him curious.

"Aurora Selwyn." She introduced herself extending her hand. The boy immediately looked at her with slightly wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe she was talking to him even though they were sitting side by side.

"Remus ... Remus Lupin." He whispered, in response, Aurora smiled and Remus Lupin turned redder than his tie.

Professor Slughorn started the class at a leisurely pace, introducing himself and talking about what they would study over the coming months. Then the class really started, and upon the first question, Remus raised his hand, so eager that Aurora was startled by the sudden movement and her arm froze in the middle of the way to get up. Slughorn then granted him permission to speak and impressively Lupin spent five minutes chattering about the pros and cons of using mandrake leaf and when he finally sat again James and Sirius got up and started clapping because Remus Lupin with his bow tie had just used the term "rare as fuck" in front of his potions professor at the first opportunity. Slughorn looked slightly constipated and it was Aurora's turn is to stare at the tablemate with wide eyes. She returned her gaze to James and Sirius who were seated again but now laughing not too quietly, their laughter contaminated the rest of the room. Although they did not make eye contact, Aurora could imagine what was going on in their heads, Lupin would be a great addition to the small group. Remus looked at Aurora, confused, and asked if he had done something wrong. The girl put her hand on his shoulder and assured him that he had been perfect. 


	6. And Life goes on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And life at Hogwarts begins

> Hogwarts  
> September 2nd  
> 1971

The class proceeded with tranquility after Remus Lupin's curious speech. Aurora obviously had her eyes glued to Slughorn the entire time. There was no other way she could act if she wanted to be the best, and not only did she _want to_ , but she _needed_ that title, her neck was at stake. And then, as if waking up from a trance, she heard the professor's voice announce the end of the class. Aurora started gathering her things and left the room with determined steps, Slytherin had a free period and she wanted to know if Narcissa was available, she had some questions about the supposed “challenge” launched the night before. More specifically, what was its reason for existing and why she was not included. As she passed through the door, however, Aurora noticed that James and Sirius were waiting for her outside.

She thought it was adorable and therefore approached them with a soft smile on her lips. They walked to the Great Hall together where they said goodbye to Aurora and headed towards their next class. Gryffindor still had 15 minutes of freedom before the start of their next class: transfiguration, with prof. Minerva - and it was very suspicious that James and Sirius were so eager to get there. Aurora saw that disconcerting gleam take James' eyes again, before they left, and she was sure whatever the reason for their haste was, it couldn't be anything good.

Interestingly enough, that thought made her laugh.

Aurora went to the Slytherin wooden table and after spending a good thirty minutes clearing her notes from Slughorn's class, she got up and walked towards the dungeons. As she expected, Narcissa was there, calmly reading a book in one of the armchairs. The Slytherin Common Room was only populated with 4 students at that time, including Black and Aurora and it seemed like the perfect environment to have a private conversation.

“Hm… Narcissa?”

Blue eyes rose.

“Sorry to disturb you but I have a question ... It's kind of important …”

Narcissa lowered the book and placed it on her lap. She indicated with an arm an available chair next to hers and Aurora sat down. With a sigh, she started to speak.

“I talked to Rabastan Lestrange earlier today …”

“Good choice.” Narcissa murmured and Aurora blinked, confused.

“What?”

The blonde girl smiled.

“Nothing, continue.”

“So… he told me about a challenge…?”

Black seemed to have no idea what she was talking about, her expression blank, until she raised her eyebrows.

“Ah, yes. The challenge. It's just a silly little game that the boys like to play for the newbies.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and came closer. “Every year they meet in the boy's dorm..” Narcissa explained. “And then they launch this challenge, that the first year who finds the Chamber of Secrets on the first night will be the new king of Slytherin.” Narcissa straightened up and blew out a breath. “Of course, this is just idiocy, the Chamber has been lost for years, and besides, only Salazar Slytherin's true heir can find it. But they think it funny to do these “tests”, see who dares to get out of bed in the middle of the night, how far they go, if they get caught…”

Ah, so that was the reason!

“The girls had a similar tradition a few years ago, but we don't do that anymore.” Said Narcissa. “It was a secret passage and had to do with a poem that supposedly exists in the first year girls' room.” She smiled again. “Of course, the room is only yours now so feel free to investigate, but it must also be a meaningless search.”

Aurora got up, thanked Narcissa and left the dungeons.

A challenge…

A little joke ...

Of course…

Aurora was divided, her housemates seemed disturbingly calm in playing with the existence of a place that was home to a creature that had been used to murder people years before.

Of course, it was supposedly a harmless thing, as Narcissa had said, they _knew_ that nobody was going to find it, that was the fun of it all. Even so, she couldn't help feeling something cold run through her veins when she hurried out of the dungeons that morning.

Where she had ended up… 

* * *

At lunchtime, the trio broke up, Aurora was with her housemates at the Slytherin table and James and Sirius were eating voraciously - as always - at the red and golden table. After finishing, however, at the end of lunchtime when most of the students were already walking through the gardens or propped up carelessly by infinite points in the castle, Aurora shyly left the snake table and sat down with her friends. Surprisingly, no one objected. Some curious and few disapproving looks were thrown in their direction. It was not expected that older students would remember - or would care - about any of the first year students that had been drawn the night before, yet with an exotic appearance like hers, it was not inconceivable that they would recognize her: the pink-haired girl who had been sorted into Slytherin.

James and Sirius didn't seem to mind, so Aurora decided that worrying about it would also be a waste of her time. When she sat down, they were both laughing.

“I can’t believe Lupin did what he did ..” Commented Sirius. James added:

“I can’t either, he doesn’t look like-”

"Like troublemaker?" Aurora completed the sentence. James looked at her very seriously.

‘Exactly”

She laughed.

“I think he didn't even realize what he was doing …” The girl said with a shrug. She also didn't have such a polished vocabulary, not willingly at least. Aurora knew that girls were not expected to use dirty language, but for most of her life, she didn't care. However, when she started living at Selwyn Mansion with her grandmother, the woman had made it very clear during her training that she would not accept that her granddaughter communicated that way. And of course, if she did it in public even, when her grandmother was not present, the rumors would reach her.

"I wonder if he didn’t notice," Potter supposed, "he had such a blank face talking ... Well, we could ask him to do something."

“He hardly spoke on the train.” Said Sirius. “He looked in shock.”

Aurora felt her expression weigh.

“On the train?”

Sirius nodded.

“We met him on the train, remember?”

“Oh …”

But Aurora did not remember. She so didn't even remember that she had introduced herself to him during class. Now she understood why Remus Lupin had looked shocked when she spoke to him. What kind of idiot introduces themselves to a person they already knew? But, Merlin, she had totally forgotten about him!

Sirius was amused.

“Oh?”

“I forgot about that …” Explained Aurora. “I didn't remember him.”

“He's not easy to forget. How many dwarfs have you seen at Hogwarts?”

Sirius laughed at his own joke and James accompanied him. Aurora gave a low chuckle. Poor little thing.

"Be careful with what you say," she warned him, "he will grow, and he might get taller than you."

Black looked at her with disdain. Nobody would be able to overcome the great Sirius Black. He was inevitably the tallest among them.

Aurora ignored him.

“You can call Remus to lunch. He should show up around this time, I asked for a favor.”

“A favor?” Questioned James.

“You two spent half the class drooling at the table.” She explained. “So as he is from Gryffindor, I asked him to lend his notes to you, since we are not going to have the same classes today.”

“I never would have thought of that.” Potter admitted and Aurora smiled smugly.

“I know.” So her smile softened and she added: “That's what friends are for.”

* * *

Hogwarts

November 1st

1971

“I need to join the Quidditch Team!” James jumped up.

His friends looked at each other, not wanting to wind up the speech that would surely follow - and which they had already heard millions of times - if they made any careless comment that indicated minimal interest.

“Didn't you try out?”

Sirius and Aurora looked towards Remus, shooting him with their eyes. The four were lounging by the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, Sirius was sprawled on the couch while Aurora absently read her transfiguration book, sitting delicately in one of the armchairs, and Remus seemed not focused on anything but trying to warm up. It was already November and the temperature at Hogwarts dropped dramatically. Aurora, being always up and down with Sirius and James, was often seen in the Gryffindor Common Room and the older students had tired of trying to separate them because James and Sirius really didn't care, so it was common to see the two Gryffindors accompanied by the Slytherin inserted in the red and gold common room for different reasons. It could be doing homework, or just hanging out. Remus Lupin had timidly joined the group, although he still kept some distance.

“I tried, Remus. I tried. But they set me up!” James was standing and telling his story with very exaggerated arm movements. “I was a perfect chaser, I managed to score 30 points!”

James Potter entered Hogwarts determined to be the first Quidditch player to join the team during his first year. But he ended up not making the selection for the team a few weeks before, and since then he hadn't talked about anything else.

“James was really good.” Aurora said with a sigh, already tired of debating that subject. “But the Gryffindor captain explained to him …”

“Three times, to be exact.” Sirius intervened.

“That it would be very complicated to have a first-year chaser because James' free time would never fit with the team's training schedule.” She continued. “And besides, nobody can join the team before at least 8 weeks of flying lessons, and we only had 6.”

“Something I know McGonagall does on purpose to prevent young and talented chasers like me from humiliating old and tired students.” Argued the boy crossing his arms, a huge scowl forming.

“This is funny.” Aurora laughed. “Even if it is not technically against the rules, it is almost impossible for someone in the first year to join the team, even if they are good enough.”

“Okay, we can agree that you did very well …” Sirius started, he stretched lazily on the sofa and changed his position, lying on his stomach. Sirius had been strangely tired and sleepy for the past few weeks. “But Conner was better than you.”

James ground his teeth.

Fifth-year Conner Jackson had been chosen as the new chaser in James's place. The other two had almost a guaranteed space in the team, since they had been part of it in the previous year.

“Conner was a little better than me.” He said, sulky. - Besides, he's in his fifth year. Who would not give the place of chaser to a candidate who in the first year already plays as well as someone in the fifth?”

“And here we go …” Aurora turned her attention to the book.

“Also, I would have been better off if Snape hadn't been in my head that day …” Potter justified himself.

James Potter didn’t like Severus Snape's face since the first moment he laid eyes on him on the train. And, for some unknown reason, the feeling seemed to be reciprocal.

And so far so good, no one is forced to like everyone and Aurora had to admit that Snape was not very friendly, but their enmity quickly evolved from verbal aggression between classes to more violent expressions of discontent. Spell, fights in the halls, pranks…

And James always got the better of him, inevitably.

But that did not mean that Snape was not able to ruin his day now and then, and a few weeks earlier it had been one of those days.

_It all started in the potions class with Slytherin and the Gryffindor. Slughorn had decided to change things up a bit and had the pairs for the experiments consist of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor each. However, being a sparsely populated house, the number of Slytherins was not enough to reach the number of Gryffindors and some of them ended up pairing with each other, which was the case of James, who was paired with the redhead Lily Evans. Meanwhile, Aurora ended up with Sirius and, much to the boy's discomfort, Lupin had unfortunately ended up as Snape's partner._

_While Aurora had her attention absolutely focused on the task ahead of her, not even letting Sirius help while putting her knowledge to the test, James and Lily argued fervently at the next table. Arguing was not quite the word since James was deliberately pretending to be unaware of the properties of the ingredients in order to provoke the redhead. Fleamont Potter was an accomplished potion alchemist, and his son had absorbed a great deal of knowledge like a sponge. And in any other class, James would be using the opportunity to show off his wisdom, but not in Slughorn's potions class where he had been paired with Lily Evans, the most nerdy nerd in all of Gryffindor._

_The girl who wrinkled her nose when she met him._

_The redhead who needed to get her nose up in everything, including James and Sirius' pranks. And didn't even blink when she stuck her finger in his face and accused him of being a “silly little boy” when he touched her precious little friend Snape._

_No… James was an eleven-year-old man who knew how to set his priorities and irritate Lily Evans was certainly more important than any momentary approval he could get._

_“So if I put the unicorn hairs on, I just have to add the hippogriff drool next…”_

_“No, no! We have to wait five minutes before adding the hippogriff drool.” Said the girl pointing to the information in the book._

_“Oh I bet it's overkill.” James stretched to try to drip a few drops of the content into the cauldron Lily had placed protectively on her side of the table._

_“No, Potter! This way you will ruin everything!”_

_Across the room it was difficult to say who was most unhappy, Remus Lupin who had been paired with the clay of disgust that was Snape at that moment, or Severus who watched Potter and Evans with almost unbelievable hatred. Remus was studious, but potions were not his best subject, and with Severus by his side, making him nervous, he was even more likely to make mistakes. And Snape, who was so focused on antagonizing James and Lily, in a very atypical attitude, didn't notice Remus confusing the herbs and adding a little too much centaur horn extract to their cauldron._

_Of course, Lupin and Snape's cauldron exploded seconds later, leaving Severus with an expression of shock and Remus with mild surprise and both were totally emerged by a yellow-green snot._

_Of course, the class couldn't help but laugh. Except Aurora, who was beside the duo and ended up completely wet and Lily, who was trying to keep from laughing._

_Slughorn came over and started cleaning up the mess, Remus soon spoke up, taking the blame for what had happened._

_Obviously James Potter couldn't keep things quiet, and after managing to control his laughter, which had been the loudest and most scandalous of all, he couldn't swallow the comment that in his opinion, Snape was much better off that way. Lily slapped him on the top of the head and Aurora rolled her eyes, but with poison in his words, Snape replied that at least he was not the son of a famous alchemist and that James probably had not been able to inherit anything from his dad’s talent and was just a privileged idiot._

_Not surprisingly, that did not make James happy and he raised his wand at the same time that Snape stood up in his chair. Potter screamed that his potion skills were better than Snape's, and that he wouldn't even be able to dream of such talent. Of course, after that, Evans and Potter's cauldron was the next to show signs that the potion was not being made correctly, and with a flash of light, its potion melted the cauldron and the table. Lily screamed and walked away and drops of the corrosive substance that accidentally fell on James' feet, running his shoes and reaching his skin, against his will, he complained, in pain._

_James did not intend for this to happen, he had in mind everything that would be needed to make the potion work at the end of class, despite all the crazy ingredients he had added to upset Evans. However, with the explosion of Lupin and Snape’s, he ended up being distracted ..._

_With wounded pride, and having to endure Snape's face of satisfaction, James and Severus were sent to the infirmary, accompanied by Sirius and Aurora - also affected by the cauldron substance - and Lupin, whose skins had acquired different colors of red, blue and green._

_After spending most of the morning in the infirmary, James was released, in a bad mood, for his try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, in which he failed. Aurora suggested that perhaps the foot burns had been the reason for his failure - which was inevitably his own fault, as he should have followed Slughorn's request without trying to prank Lily Evans - but James guaranteed that his performance had been affected only by Snape and his commentaries. ._

Aurora was happy to interrupt her friend's whining.

“It's almost lunchtime, let's go.” Putting the book under her arm, she stood up, the three boys came after her. They took the long way to the Great Hall, hoping that James would get tired of talking about Quidditch and they wouldn't have to listen to that speech again while eating. The try out had been two weeks ago, and the result was exposed shortly thereafter. Long enough, in Aurora’s opinion, for Potter to get over it. 

Passing through the gardens, frozen by the approach of December, two older students were walking in the opposite direction to the quartet, arguing. The tallest among them was the Gryffindor Captain, Cameron Wood, Aurora acknowledged - for a few days, she had been worried that James was going to hex Cameron and thought it was best to know who he was - and the other one of his friends, which she didn't know the name.

 _“I can't believe he got sick.”_ She heard Cameron complain. “ _He was the best chaser in the tryouts. Now I have no idea who I'm going to put in his place.”_

_“How long will he be in bed rest?”_

_“At least two weeks!”_

_“You don't have a spare chaser?”_ The friend asked. Cameron winced. _“We were forced to accept one... The kid's father paid new brooms for the whole team. But he sucks, I honestly prefer to play with one less chaser…”_

_“McGonagall will kill you.”_

“So you need a chaser?” James's voice was almost all smug, his smile almost too big to fit on his face. Remus, Sirius and Aurora had to stop walking. James was now staring at the other two students with his arms behind his head.

Cameron clearly remembered James, it would be almost impossible to forget about him as Potter spent days following the poor boy after seeing the results of his tryouts, and his grimace seemed to deepen.

“Potter I already discussed this with you …” Cameron began with a sigh.

“That was two weeks ago.” James argued. “Now I already have 8 weeks of flying lessons.”

Cameron did not seem to be expecting a plausible argument to come out of the boy's mouth because he was surprised. He was silent for a few moments until he opened his mouth again.

“And the team's training …”

“I'll find a way.”

Wood did not seem convinced.

“What way? Are you going to run away from your classes?”

“I would do it!”

Aurora crossed her arms and shot an ugly look in James’ direction.

"No, you wouldn't!" James ignored her and looked hard at Cameron.

“If you give me a chance I can prove that I am the chaser of your dreams.”

“Gryffindor could change training hours with Ravenclaw,” Cameron's friend suggested. “I think it would still be complicated for him to follow ... But at least he wouldn't have to miss class.” Cameron shot his partner as ugly a look as Aurora's and then massaged his temples.

Cameron Wood was sick of discussing that matter with James Potter and undeniably needed a new chaser. Also undeniably, the boy was very talented. But the fact that he was a first year was not the only reason Potter was not accepted on the team. He was stubborn, boastful, and impulsive. And a little immature. A little of this was due to his age, of course, Wood deduced. Regardless, all those characteristics were difficult to balance when you were part of a team, and Cameron knew that as a captain he would have a huge job to get James in line. A job that, as a fifth-year student who would have to do O.W.Ls at the end of the year, he really didn't want to have.

However, at the moment, he saw himself with no choice.

Cameron sighed deeply and put his hands together as if to pray.

“Okay, Potter. I'll give you ONE chance.” He said. James jumped with joy and Sirius patted him encouragingly on the back. Remus and Aurora exchanged looks, and while Lupin seemed to be amused by the situation, Aurora still had her doubts. “We have a match with Hufflepuff in four days” Informed the fifth year. “It's just a workout, it's not worth any points, so it's your chance to convince me.”

James shook his head vehemently.

“Now remember that talent is not everything, you play with the team. Don't you go around doing what you think is best, understood?”

Potter seemed to have a slightly confused look in his eyes, but he nodded nonetheless.

“It will be held at three in the afternoon, arrive thirty minutes before so we can find a uniform that fits you.”

And with that, Cameron and his friend left, leaving a happy James Potter behind.

“You saw that ?! I knew that fate was not going to fail me and …” And his eyes suddenly widened. -”I need to practice! This is my last chance to join the team! The youngest chaser in history!”

They started walking again towards the Great Hall.

“Where exactly will you train, the Quidditch pitch is for the exclusive use of the teams.” Said Sirius.

“I'll think about a place.” Muttered James. “I will also need help …” And his brown eyes turned to the three friends. He pouted.

“I can be your keeper.” Sirius volunteered.

“I also need someone to try to stop me from making points …”

The two looked in the direction of Remus and Aurora. Lupin smiled sheepishly.

“I never flew a broom …”

James let out an inelegant squeak, as if this were the greatest tragedy he had ever heard in his life.

“Are your parents muggles?” Aurora asked. She had some experience with brooms. After all, she flied to get into the train! But that was her first try. During her whole childhoon until that moment, she had never touched a broom before. For... similar reasons.

“My mother yes,” Remus replied shyly, “My father is a wizard, he likes Quidditch, but as we live in a muggle village, there is no way to do anything too exaggerated without drawing attention. Flying is impossible.”

“And when you travel on vacation-OUCH!”

Aurora pinched James' arm in an attempt to stop him from saying nonsense. Potter stared at her without understanding and she shook her head discreetly, instructing him not to ask again. Then James turned his attention back to Remus once again, his cheeks pink.

“W-we… hm… my mom doesn't like to travel…”

Realizing that his friend was embarrassed, James paid attention to things he usually didn't care enough to notice. Like how Remus' robes were secondhand, the shade of black rather faded. The fact that they were considerably larger than he was, making the boy almost disappear into them. Nor did his shoes show the lustrous sheen that James, Sirius and Aurora’s, and Potter had received recently, having to replace the previous ones due to the accident in potions class. Remus had a very old owl, and from his cauldron to his suitcase, nothing seemed to be ... new ...

Then James understood.

“Well!” Potter stammered. “You can fly with me this summer!” He turned to the other two. “You can all come to my house, at least for a few days, it would be incredible.”

Sirius immediately perked up at the prospect, taking Remus out of the limelight.

“Really?!”

“Sure!”

Aurora smiled kindly at Remus as Sirius and James, already excited, discussed what the four could do over the summer. Lupin smiled back.


End file.
